"I don't see anything that can beat him," chimed Ron Pierce when asked about Art Official and the foes he'll face in next Monday's Cane Pace final at Freehold Raceway. "If anyone that raced in those eliminations can beat him, I'll be very surprised."
"He's a gorilla," added Pierce, who guided the three-year-old pacing colt to the fastest mile in the history of Freehold Raceway on August 23 in the eliminations for Labor Day's $392,850 Cane Pace.
Art Official, who last month won the Meadowlands Pace in a World Record clocking of 1:47 and was supplemented into the Cane Pace for $35,000, took his elim in 1:50.4, beating Lis Deo, Rudy Rednose and Moon Beam.
It was the fourth consecutive victory for Art Official, and his sixth in his last seven starts. The colt has won nine of 15 races this year and earned just over $1 million for trainer Joe Seekman and owner Sawgrass Farms (Jim and Joyce Jesk).
Badlands Nitro, driven by Brian Sears, cruised to a 1:53 win in the other Cane Pace elimination, topping Major General by one length.
U Smooth Talker U was third and Mccedes was fourth. Badlands Nitro and Major General also were supplemental entries. The top four horses in each elim advanced to the final.
The Cane Pace is the first jewel in the Pacing Triple Crown. The second, the Little Brown Jug, is September 18 at the Delaware County Fairgrounds in Ohio and the third, the Messenger, is October 25 at Yonkers Raceway. No Pan Intended, in 2003, was the last horse to complete the sweep.
In his elim, Art Official started from Post 6 and was a first-over second at the halfway point. He overtook leader Moon Beam on the backstretch and paced a :27.2 last quarter to become the first sub-1:51 performer in Freehold history. The previous track record of 1:51 was shared by Dauntless Bunny, K F Pro Sam, and Francam.
"It was a piece of cake," Pierce said. "I came first up and just sat him on the outside until halfway down the backstretch, and then I put him in gear. He paced around Moon Beam and he just coasted home. He's just as good, if not better [than he was at the time of the Meadowlands Pace]. He was wicked then, and he's wicked now. He's just wicked fast.
(Harness Racing Communications)