Conner Blake for LISA PHOTO

Well Said pulled away to a 1-3/4 length victory 1:49.2 score in his elimination for the $1 million Meadowlands Pace Saturday night.

The colt stamped himself the one to beat in the track’s signature event on Saturday, July 18 in the first of the evening’s two $50,000 elimination dashes. Runner-up Art Colony cut fractions of 27.3 and 55.2 before Well Said and driver Ron Pierce worked their way up to his wheel just past the half. The two colts matched strides into the stretch before Well Said pulled away to a 1-3/4 length victory.

Drop Red finished third, but was disqualified and placed sixth for interfering with Pair A Dice while on a brief break in stride at the half. Pair A Dice, sixth, was placed fifth and advanced to the Meadowlands Pace Final along with Schoolkids [fifth-placed-fourth] and Vintage Master [fourth-placed-third].

“I was thinking they weren’t going fast enough to suit me [in the opening quarter],” Pierce said. “I decided I better get up closer to the front. I didn’t want [Art Colony] to get away too cheap and have somebody pulling and getting in my way and then having to play catch up. When we hit the last turn, I had to just take a big grip on him and slow him down because I didn’t want to go to the top. I just took a big grip on him and sat him on the outside in the last turn and then I called on him a little bit.”

Well Said, trained by Steve Elliott, bids for his second million-dollar win this season in the Meadowlands Pace. His 1:48.1 score in the North America Cup on June 27 at Mohawk was a stakes, track and Canadian record. The son of Western Hanover enters the Meadowlands Pace with a slate of eight wins in 17 career starts and just under $1.3 million in earnings for owners Jeff Snyder of New York, NY and Lothlorien of Cheltenham, Ontario.

“I haven’t seen anybody out there that can beat him,” said Pierce, who won the 2008 Meadowlands Pace with Art Official. “I’ll be surprised if he gets beat, but Somebeachsomewhere got beat and a lot of other horses. It’s a horse race, so anything can happen. I think by far, I have the best colt. If he gets beat, it won’t be because he didn’t have a good chance.”

Hypnotic Blue Chip got up in the final strides to win the second of the $50,000 Meadowlands Pace eliminations in a career best 1:49.2 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Mark Harder.

Hypnotic Blue Chip tracked If I Can Dream as he challenged the leader Arctic Warrior into the stretch and held off the late rally of the pocket sitter Chasin Racin for a 1 1-4-length victory. Ideal Danny held his ground for third, while If I Can Dream (fourth) and Arctic Warrior (fifth) also advanced to the Meadowlands Pace Final.

“We’ve always raced him like that, from day one,” Tetrick said. “He’s a real nice colt and he finishes well, that’s the good thing about him.”