from Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – December 4, 2004 – Diesel Don [$4.40, $3.60, $2.80] posted his fourth straight victory, taking the fifth race, the $228,600 Valley Victory Final, one of the Fall Final Four stakes for two-year-olds on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

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Diesel Don posted his fourth straight victory in the $228,600 Valley Victory Final.

Driver John Campbell picked up his fifth Valley Victory trophy with the Chuck Sylvester-trained son of Muscles Yankee.

Diesel Don trotted the mile in a lifetime best of 1:57 flat, improving his record to five wins and two thirds in eight starts, earning $202,992 for the partnership of Sylvester, Neal Goldman of Washington Township, New Jersey and Campbell’s Having Fun Stable of River Vale, New Jersey, which paid $12,000 for him at the Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

Diesel Don won by two and three-quarter lengths over Classic Photo [$48.20, $16.20]. It was three lengths to Magic Swan [$4.60] in third.

“I think he’d race better off cover, but he relaxes and goes from there,” Campbell said of his outside trip. “We hoped to go to the Breeders Crown [with him], but he got sick on us in Lexington.”

“We waited all year on this colt, and he sure showed up tonight,” said Sylvester. “He got sick and we got delayed two or three weeks.”

Sylvester sent out 2001 Valley Victory winner Chip Chip Hooray who came back the next year to win the Hambletonian. Favorite Strong Yankee finished fifth.

“I don’t know what happened,” said Trond Smedshammer, trainer-driver of Strong Yankee. “He felt comfortable the whole way. But when John’s horse came at us, he didn’t have anything. It’s his last start of the season. He’ll be back in mid to late June.”

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45-1 Aeronautess knifed through traffic and got up for a head victory over Solveig in the $211,800 Goldsmith Maid Final.

In the $211,800 Goldsmith Maid for trotting fillies, carded as the seventh race, 45-1 Aeronautess [$92.80, $15.60, $10.60] knifed through traffic and got up for a head victory over Solveig [$3.00, $2.60] in 1:59 flat. Flawless Bluestone [$7.60] was third by a neck.

“I am thrilled to bits,” said Jacqueline Ingrassia, the driver of the daughter of Striking Sahbra. “I always thought this filly had lots of talent. I had to drag Peter and Ebby [brothers Peter and Ebby Gerry, who race as the Arden Homestead Stable] screaming and kicking into this race. I had the greatest of fortune to be offered the opportunity to train some of their amateur races horses about eight years ago. They are princes among men. If all owners were like these guys, we’d have no trouble. I put the new bike on her tonight. I thought it might pick her up enough to get a check. I knew I had horse; I just needed to get out. She’s done for the year.”

Ingrassia, whose husband, Frank, trains the filly, can claim the richest race won by a woman driver at the Meadowlands with her Goldsmith Maid triumph. She co-owns Aeronautess with the Gerrys. A $47,000 Tattersalls Sale purchase, the trotting filly now has two wins and one third in eight starts and earnings of $110,900.

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Syncro’s Z Tam held off Voracious Hanover and Dawn Ofa New Day to win the $237,400 Governor’s Cup.

Syncro’s Z Tam [$11.60, $7.40, $3.20] held off Voracious Hanover [$8.00, $3.40] and Dawn Ofa New Day [$2.20] to win the third race, the $237,400 Governor’s Cup for two-year-old pacing colts and geldings in 1:53.1.

It was a two and three-quarter-length tally for the son of Blissfull Hall who is driven, trained and co-owned by Patrick Lachance. Syncro’s Z Tam, a $65,000 yearling purchase, posted his third win in 10 starts and pushed his earnings to $217,208 for Lachance and Suffern, New York businessman Bill Matz who races as the MJGB Racing Stables Inc.

“This is a thrill,” said the 29-year-old Lachance, son of Hall of Famer Mike Lachance. “It’s special since I broke him and brought him along. I’ve been with him since day one. This is great. It has been a lot of fun, especially to be in the winner’s circle with stakes horses.”

Lachance and Matz teamed for their biggest win with Casimir Camotion on September 4 at Woodbine in the $708,400 Canadian Pacing Derby.

Voracious Hanover edged out the 4-5 favorite, Dawn Ofa New Day for second.

“He had a good trip and the fractions were good,” said Jim Morrill Jr., the driver of Voracious Hanover. “He was game to the wire.

He ended up on the right line finishing hard. It almost cost him second. But he was able to hold on to second.”

“My colt just wasn’t himself tonight,” Ron Pierce said of Dawn Ofa New Day. “We got a beautiful trip. Down the backstretch I was licking my chops. But on the last turn, he started to let go of me. I was getting concerned. He was just empty in the lane.”

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Restive Hanover, the Breeders Crown winner, added to her credentials as the possible Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the Year with a neck victory in the $200,000 Three Diamonds.

Restive Hanover [$3.20, $2.10], the Breeders Crown winner, added to her credentials as the possible Two-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the Year with a neck victory in the second race, the $200,000 Three Diamonds.

“I moved her half way up the backside; Pierce [Ron Pierce with Just Wait Kate] came out of the pocket and carried me into the turn,” said Andy Miller, the driver of Restive Hanover. “It was just a matter of getting by him in the lane. I think she should get it [divisional title].”

Restive Hanover paced the mile in 1:52.4 and posted her ninth win with three seconds from 14 starts and pushed her earnings to $590,607 for the Kentucky-based ownership of Brent Tartar’s Starmaker Farm and Anthony McEldowney. The daughter of The Panderosa is trained by Erv Miller.

Crystal Slipper was third by five and a quarter lengths. There was no show wagering.

“She raced super,” Pierce said. “She had mucous early in the week. So I don’t think she was a 100 percent. But she sure raced giant. The other filly sat on her back and just went by her. She’s a very special filly. Just because she lost, I won’t hold it against her. I’m looking forward to her coming back next year. She’s got a big engine in her and she can go real fast.”

In the first race, the $51,300 Charles Singer Memorial Trot Final, Ecstatic [$3.60, $2.20, $2.10] coasted to a two and a quarter length victory over Lhasa Muscles [$3.40, $2.40] in a stakes record equaling 1:56.3. It was three lengths back to Ripped [$2.60] in third. “It was as easy as it gets,” said winning driver David Miller.

“She was great tonight. She had a week off, and they got her good and ready. I planned on getting her toward the front and see what happens but there was no movement in the race, so I was able to retake the lead. With an easy middle half, it went pretty smooth.”

The three-year-old daughter of Self Possessed now has five wins in 14 starts for the Joie De Vie Farm LLC of Jobstown, New Jersey and Jayne Cummins of Lexington, New Jersey.

“When she got on the front at the half, I thought it was over,” said Paul Buer, the trainer of Ecstatic. “She got nice cheap fractions, and she’s been so good. She missed time in the summer when we were preparing for the sire stakes, and she had throat operations. She hasn’t raced as much as I’d like so she’ll race into January. She’ll have one or two overnights here and then a stakes for four-year-old mares in Canada in January. Then she’ll get a break.”

Miller was back in the winner’s circle for the eighth race, the $60,000 Oil Burner Final, with Armbro Becalm [$11.60, $6.40, $6.60] holding off the challenge of Ohubetterbelievit [$8.60, $7.80] by a head in 1:52.1. Great Expense [$13.20] was third.

Owned by Illinois-based Richard Elmore and Darby Miller, Armbro Becalm is a three-year-old son of Jenna’s Beach Boy trained by Brett Pelling. The pacer now has six wins, three seconds and one third in 14 starts this year.

Armbro Becalm swept the three-week Oil Burner and improved his career bankroll to $69,794.

The richest pacer of all time, Gallo Blue Chip returned to the Meadowlands for the first time since June to win the sixth race, a $17,000 condition pace, in 1:52.4. The seven-year-old gelding, with earnings of more than $4.2 million for Martin Scharf of Lawrence, New York, was driven to victory by Daniel Dube. The Mark Ford trainee got up for a nose victory over Oragami Artist for his fourth win in 12 starts this year.