The winner of the 2021 Little Brown Jug, Lous Pearlman looked very sharp in his four-year-old debut on April 16 but he looked even better in his second appearance of the season.
Entered in Saturday's qualifying session at The Meadowlands, Lous Pearlman was part of the 14-dash finale that included a number of sophomore stakes winners from 2021. That group included stablemate Southwind Gendry, Cane and Progress champ Rockyroad Hanover, Tattersalls and Simcoe star Abuckabett Hanover, KYSS standout Komodo Beach and Adios winner Hellabalou.
First to call, however, was six-year-old Hurrikane Emperor and driver Mark MacDonald. Powering through panels of :27.4, :56.1 and 1:23.4, Hurrikane Emperor was swallowed up in the stretch by a first-over Southwind Gendry (David Miller) in mid-stretch. That lead was short-lived as second-over Lous Pearlman (Yannick Gingras) tipped off his helmet in that final stanza and sprinted home in :26.1 to hit the wire a half-length the best. The mile was timed in a swift 1:50.4, with Southwind Gendry in second ahead of stoutly-closing stablemates Rockyroad Hanover (Dexter Dunn) and Abuckabett Hanover (Andy McCarthy). Most of these speedsters are surely pointed for the opening leg of the Graduate Series, slated for May 7 at The Meadowlands.
Lous Pearlman (Sweet Lou - Lucys Pearl) is trained by Ron Burke, a pacer he bred and co-owns with Weaver Bruscemi LLC, Elizabeth Novak and Howard Taylor. Lous Pearlman sports a mark of 1:47.4 with 13 wins and more than $792,000 in earnings.
For full results from the qualifying session, click the following link: Results - Meadowlands Racetrack (Qualifiers)