Annieswesterncard [$21.40, $9.20, $7.60] capitalized on miscues by the favourites and a perfect second-over trip to win the $230,000 Berry's Creek Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack
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Driver Ron Pierce and Annieswesterncard followed Western Posse (Brian Sears) as he came first up to challenge the leader Vertigo Hanover (John Campbell) down the backstretch. Pierce tipped Annieswesterncard three-wide on the final turn and he hustled home in :26.3 to hold off the pocket sitter Drop Red [$7.20, $6.00] and George Brennan by three-quarters of a length in 1:51.1. Arctic Warrior [$7.60] and David Miller rallied between horses to finish third. Both Berry's Creek elimination winners, River Shark (Daniel Dube) and Hypnotic Blue Chip (Tim Tetrick), broke stride early in the mile and never entered contention.
Annieswesterncard - Berry's Creek
"[The breaking horses] didn't affect me at all," said Pierce, who scored his third Berry's Creek win in four years. "We had to take things as they came and we followed Western Posse. He took us right into the stretch. I tipped my horse three deep coming out of the turn. I was very concerned about [Drop Red] because I knew he's got a lot of speed. I thought maybe if he slipped through, he'd be able to beat us, but we were lucky."
Sawgrass Farms' Annieswesterncard posted his biggest career win in just his second start as a three-year-old for trainer Joe Seekman. The homebred son of Western Hanover-Annie Your A Card won six of 13 races and $217,260 at two. Annieswesterncard is eligible to the $1 million Meadowlands Pace on July 18 and looks to become the fifth Berry's Creek winner to move on to Meadowlands Pace glory. Seekman and Sawgrass Farms won the 2008 Meadowlands Pace with Art Official, who scored the upset heard 'round the racing world as he defeated Somebeachsomewhere in a 1:47 world record mile. Prior to that, Art Official was the beaten favourite in the Berry's Creek.
Annieswesterncard is also eligible to the North America Cup, which will take place at Mohawk Racetrack Saturday, June 27 and is rated at odds of 24-1 in Trot Magazine’s 2009 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
Bettor Sweet Sizzles In World Record Graduate Mile
Bettor Sweet paced to a 1:47.2 world record in the first of two $50,000 Graduate eliminations Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
The clocking eclipsed the previous record for a four-year-old gelding on a mile track, 1:48, set by Color Me Best in 1999.
Soul Chaser (David Miller) and McCedes (Pierce) took the field to the quarter in :27.1 before even-money favourite Shark Gesture (Tetrick) circled to the lead in a swift :54 half. Driver John Campbell and Bettor Sweet boldly seized the lead from Shark Gesture in a 1:20.4 third quarter and sprinted home in 26.3 for a half-length victory. Montecito N (Yannick Gingras) was a distanced third. Bettor Sweet paid $16.60 to win his second start off a two-month layoff.
"I was extremely happy with the race tonight," Campbell said. "I got away mid pack and Shark Gesture retook down the backstretch. I started moving down the back and made the front in the turn and was able to hold him off. I knew Shark would be tough in the test. I thought my best shot to win the race was to get the front around the far turn. I expect him to race well in the final, to put in a big effort and to hold on. This is the first time he showed he could beat those types of horses."
Bettor Sweet, trained by Joe Poliseno and owned by John Cancelliere of Clark, New Jersey, is now two for seven this season. The son of Bettors Delight unleashed a stakes record 1:49.4 mile to complete a sweep of the Oil Burner Series in December 2008, capping his sophomore campaign with nine wins in 17 starts.
Winbak Speed captured the second Graduate elimination in his signature front-end fashion for the team of driver Ron Pierce and trainer Wayne Givens.
Winbak Speed settled in third as Allamerican Idol (Sears) reeled off a torrid :26.3 opening quarter before Pierce sent him up to assume command. He blazed through middle fractions of :54.2 and 1:22.2 en route to a two-length victory over Allamerican Idol in 1:49. Mucho Sleazy (David Miller) finished third off a ground-saving journey.
Winbak Speed has now won eight of 14 starts and $265,895 this season. Lifetime, he is 28 for 104. The six-year-old son of Village Jove was a $30,000 claim by Delaware-based trainer Wayne Givens and co-owner Niel Garguilo of Milford, Delaware in January 2008 at Dover Downs.
"Wayne all along thought we had something good, and here we are," Garguilo said. "He's getting better and Ronny [Pierce] just told me he's the best he's ever been. He's a little horse with a big, big heart."
The top five finishers in each of Saturday's elimination races advanced to the $210,000 Graduate Final next Saturday, May 16. The field for next week's title, in alphabetical order, is: Allamerican Idol, Bettor Sweet, Blueridge Western, McCedes, Montecito N, Mucho Sleazy, Shark Gesture, Western Shore, Winbak Speed and Won The West.
In regular racing action, Southwestern Dream established a shiny new mark of 1:48.2 in $27,500 Preferred Pace.
Leaving from Post 5 with John Campbell at the lines, the four-year-old son of Cambest settled on top at the first quarter in :26.2 after an early tussle with the favourite, All Shuttle (David Miller). Southwestern Dream led the way to half in :53.4 before Camshaft Hanover (George Brennan) made a powerhouse move during the third interval. That one brushed to command and pulled away by two lengths reaching the third quarter station in 1:20.3. As the field entered the stretch, Southwestern Dream took advantage of the tiring Camshaft Hanover with a :27.2 final effort, which secured him the win by one and a half lengths.
Camshaft Hanover had to settle for second and longshot Test Flight (Sears) rallied for third.
Southwestern Dream has recorded five wins in 10 starts this year including the Four Leaf Clover and Aquarius finals earning $160,000. The bay gelding notched his 14th lifetime score and bumped his total earnings to $350,964 for Frank Bellino of Bronxville, New York.
Fresh off a win in his season’s debut at Harrah’s Chester, NA Cup eligible Barber Pole, driven by Tim Tetrick, prevailed in his first race assignment in 1:49 flat by five lengths.
Lightly raced at two, the son of Badlands Hanover, who is assessed at odds of 40-1 in Trot’s Spring Book, banked just over $90,000 for trainer George Teague, Jr. and owners and breeders Gary and Barbara Iles of Harrington, Delaware.
To view Saturday’s results, click here.
(With files from NJSEA)