from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Don Boss Vita ($6.80, $3.60, $3.20) held off the late rally of Mr Muscleman ($2.60, $2.80) to win the $154,200 Su Mac Lad Final in a stakes record 1:52.1 on Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands. A neck separated the two trotters at the wire. Hurri Kane Billy G ($3.60) was four and three-quarter lengths back in third.

“He’s got the biggest heart,” said Virginia Louthan, who trains Don Boss Vita for her fiancé, owner Alvin Beiler of Felton, Delaware. “As soon as I saw them leave easy and there was no crazy speed duel, I was happy. Once he gets a good opening quarter and clears like that, he will fight them off the distance and he won’t give up. God made a truly magnificent animal when He made him. He has old injuries; he’s an old warhorse. We want to keep him together and preserve him. If we do, it could be a really good summer.”

Don Boss Vita, who won his season’s debut last week in the second leg of the Su Mac Lad, had not previously raced since June 4, 2004 when he was sidelined with a suspensory injury. Overall, he now has a six-race winning streak and a career record of 15 wins, 10 seconds and six thirds from 57 starts and earnings of $319,337.

Don Boss Vita took the lead before the half and was not challenged until Mr Muscleman attempted to chase him down in the stretch.

“I knew Mr Muscleman was a few back, and I wasn’t going to wait on him,” said winning driver Brian Sears. “I called on him a couple of times, and he dug right in. The effort he put in after was impressive.”

The 1:52.1 mile, a lifetime best for the six-year-old son of Donerail, eclipsed the stakes record of 1:53.4 established in 2002 by Magician, the last of his unequaled three straight wins in the Su Mac Lad.

Magician was honored in retirement ceremonies on Sunday, after the second race, where he was reunited with trainer Earl Cruise, driver David Miller and the friends and family of his late owner, Bill Augenstein. Magician’s retirement home is Leslie McLaren’s Blairwood Farms in Columbus, New Jersey.

Mr Muscleman, the 2004 Older Trotter of the Year, had won his first start of the year last week in his Su Mac Lad preliminary and was sent off as the 6-5 favorite in the final.

“We picked up some dead cover and just had too far to come,” said Ron Pierce, the driver of Mr Muscleman. “But this horse raced tremendous.”

Mr Muscleman trotted his last quarter in :26.4, a second faster than Don Boss Vita. He raced without the medication Lasix, which he received in his previous starts, so that he could be eligible for Sweden’s premier event, the Elitlopp at Solvalla Racecourse on May 29. Don Boss Vita races with the anti-bleeding medication, which is barred in Sweden.

Hans G. Lindskog, the racing secretary of Solvalla, was on hand to present the Su Mac Lad trophy and to possibly issue invitations to the Elitlopp.

“What I saw today was a very impressive performance by Mr Muscleman and by Don Boss Vita,” said Lindskog. “Mr Muscleman was the best in the race. He was very fast in his last quarter. He had a very unlucky race. But the time is superior.

“I know (trainer) Noel Daley and (owner) Adam Victor are interested in racing at Solvalla, but they also know they can’t race with Lasix,” Lindskog added. “He showed today that he can race without it. He raced excellent. I’m going to meet with Adam Victor tonight and discuss what will happen. We long to see an American horse race in the Elitlopp in Sweden.”

“I’m very happy with him,” Daley said of Mr Muscleman. “He just had too far to come. Our plans are to race him in the (Cutler at the Meadowlands on May 21, with the elims on May 13) next and then ship him for the Elitlopp. It’s going to be pretty tight because we’d have to race him on Saturday and ship him on Sunday. But we’ll see what happens. That’s the plan (if the invitation comes).”