from Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – May 21, 2005 – Life Source [$5.00, $2.60, $2.60] dug in as the closers converged on him in the final eighth of a mile to win the $225,000 Graduate Final, the seventh race on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
Boulder Creek [$3.40, $2.80] with Brian Sears driving, challenged on the outside, and Metropolitan [$4.80], handled by David Miller, found room on the pylons, but neither could not catch the eighth-year-old who paced the mile in 1:50.4 on a track rated good.
Life Source, who finished last in the 2004 Graduate, now has 40 wins in 166 career starts and lifetime earnings of more than $1.8 million. This year the pacer has six wins, three seconds and three thirds from 16 starts. The winner’s share of $112,500 pushed his 2005 earnings to $328,325.
“The rail is a great place to be,” said George Brennan, the driver of Life Source. “The horse has great speed. There was only one other leaving so I thought I’d take a shot at the front. I don’t put him o the front often, but when I do, he responds well. There was big money on the line so I took a chance. He didn’t let us down.”
“He raced unbelievably,” said Richard J. Banca, who trains the horse for his father, Richard T. Banca of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey. “He’s just a tough, tough horse. He’s going to Canada for the Classic and the Canadian Pacing Derby and then he’ll be back here.”
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Mr Muscleman rallied from eight at the half to catch Sand Vic at the wire and capture the $180,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial
Mr Muscleman rallied from eight at the half to catch Sand Vic at the wire and capture the $180,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial, the co-featured fifth race, trotting the mile in 1:54.3 on a track surfaced turned sloppy by heavy rain showers.
Mr Muscleman [$2.80, $2.60, $2.20], driven by Ron Pierce and trained by Noel Daley, got up in the final strides to score a neck victory over Sand Vic [$4.60, $3.20], with Brian Sears in the sulky. It was a half-length back to Hellava Hush [$3.00], driven by Cat Manzi, in third.
“The track was so bad [muddy] that I got way back and couldn’t see anything,” said winning driver Ron Pierce. “I couldn’t even tell how many horses were in front of me. But I knew I had the horse. It was just a matter of when to go. He trotted beautifully.”
“He was super tonight,” said Noel Daley, the trainer of Mr Muscleman. “He got farther back than we thought. But he came home real good. He just wants to win.”
Mr Muscleman, a five-year-old gelded son of Muscles Yankee, topped the $2 million mark in career earnings with his victory in the Cutler. It was his fourth win in five starts this year and 24th in 47 career starts.
“I was thinking that he’d have to be some type of animal to win this race,” said Adam Victor of New York City, who owns the 2004 Older Trotter of the Year with his son, Adam. “He’s getting better. This is an exciting horse to watch, and we hope to watch him race for several years to come.”
By winning the Nat Ray, Mr Muscleman receives an invitation to the $300,000 Nat Ray on August 6 at the Meadowlands.
Out of a pair of $25,000 elimination races for the $500,000 SBOA/New Jersey Classic on May 28, the 10 three-year-old pacing colts advancing to the final will be Load The Dice, Jo Pa’s Shark, Cam’s Fool, You Tell Gordy and South Park Hanover from the first division [second race] and Rocknroll Hanover, Strong Player, Village Jolt, George At Bigs and Dr Zip from the second division [third race].