East Rutherford, NJ — Loua Dipa and Twin B Joe Fresh were powerful winners in graded stakes events at the Meadowlands on Saturday night (July 11) as part of the stakes-filled Meadowlands Pace program.
The $180,120 Grade 3 Jerry Silverman Memorial, for 3-year-old pacing fillies, presented a mighty duel down the stretch from the two favorites in blazing fractions with Loua Dipa and Ronnie Wrenn Jr. getting the nod in a 1:48 victory — setting a stakes record and tying the divisional track record in the act.
Darlin’s Angel made a sharp early move over three leavers to get the top early through a steep opening quarter of :26.1. I’m A Lou Lou soon rushed out of third to take the lead with Loua Dipa following her in the outer lane, and Loua Dipa smoothly cleared command in the shuffle to a :53.3 half.
Be Perfect BG, parked from the start after floating forward out of post 9, marched uncovered to take on Loua Dipa, and that duel burned to three-quarters in a fiery 1:20. But Loua Dipa fended off the persistent challenge of Be Perfect BG to the finish by a neck with Darlin’s Angel zipping up the inside for third and She’s A Bulldog finishing fourth.
“I knew it was going to take to the wire [for us] to get there,” Wrenn said after the race. “Dexter’s horse [Be Perfect BG] raced great. She was out the whole way and she never went away; she was there until the end. These two fillies are going to battle all year.”
Loua Dipa, a daughter of Sweet Lou-Looksgoodinaromper, is trained by Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi. She paid $3.80 to win while raising her lifetime earnings to $1,118,118 and collecting the 13th victory in her career. Her 1:48 win equals the Meadowlands track record for 3-year-old pacing fillies, set in 2019 by Tall Drink Hanover, and the time eclipses the 1:48.3 stakes record, set in 2021 by Hot Mess Express and matched in 2022 by Max Contract.
The $165,750 Dorothy Haughton Memorial, a Grade 2 event for pacing mares, was a commanding win for 2024 Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh with her usual guide Dexter Dunn as they took the stakes for the third year in a row.
Unreasonable left the gate best, getting to the top with Louies Girl N securing the pocket from the pylon post to the first panel in :26.2. Dunn confidently brushed his charge to the lead into the backstretch, routing her path to a half in :55 with Unreasonable on her tail while stablemate Miki And Minnie ground uncovered up the rim from the back of the pack. Twin B Joe Fresh scooted away from her rivals to three-quarters in 1:23 and was in full control through the stretch to hit the beam in 1:48.4. Unreasonable inched forward late to finish second, beaten a half length, and Miki And Minnie settled for third.
“I hadn’t lost faith in her, and I wasn’t looking for her to turn the tables,” trainer Chris Ryder said after the race, “but I knew she’d be going forward. And as soon as she got to the half in :55, it was her race to lose. I’m just so proud of her to win this race three years in a row. I’m almost speechless; it’s fantastic. We had a hiccup in Canada – it was mainly the foot and she tied up. I thought she was alright for the Roses Are Red and she wasn’t, but I didn’t lose faith in her. She’s Twin B Joe Fresh, and if she’s out there, you better watch out!”
Ryder, Dunn, Peter Trebotica and Barry Spak own Twin B Joe Fresh, a 6-year-old mare by Roll With Joe-Fresh Breeze with 38 wins and $2,990,744 earned from 54 starts. She paid $4.60 to win.