from Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – July 3, 2004 – Records fell on Saturday night at the Meadowlands as Four Starzzz Shark and Life Source each paced a world record mile in their respective William R. Haughton elimination.

Four Starzzz Shark crossed the wire in the third race in 1:47.4, a world record for older horses, and Life Source paced his mile in 1:48, a world record for older geldings.

The top five finishers from each of the two eliminations advance to the $700,000 Haughton Final on July 10.

Camelot Hall’s 1:49 mile equaled the track record for three-year-olds and set a stakes record in the Jersey Cup.

Ron Pierce scored his 5000th career victory in the Ladyship Stakes as Rainbow Blue extended her winning streak to 13.

Four Starzzz Shark [$2.80, $2.10, $2.10] drew off to a two and a half length victory in the third race, the first of two $50,000 eliminations for the $700,000 Haughton. His time of 1:47.4 was a track and world record time for older horses and only one-fifth of a second off the track’s all-age mark set by fouir-year-old Jenna’s Beach Boy on June 22, 1996.

“I took my time [getting to the lead],” said Mike Lachance, who has guided Four Starzzz Shark to five straight wins and seven wins in eight starts this year. “I knew David [Miller with Mini Me] would take me to the quarter. The quarter in 26.4 was as slow as I could get there. I just let him keep at a nice pace. I had someone at my side [Art’s Chip] at the three quarter. Everyone was around him at the wire. I’m never surprised; they can all go fast. Because they’re good and sharp now, everyone is taking their shots now.”

“I keep him happy and sound, and Mike does the rest on the racetrack,” said Dave Sabatelli, the trainer of Four Starzzz Shark.

“I’m not going to change anything. I wanted one more fifth of a second [the 1:47.3 all-age record of Jenna’s Beach Boy]. I don’t know where he can go. You need the right fractions, the right day. I’m not worried about records, just winning races.”

Four Starzzz Shark’s mile eclipsed the older horse track and world record set by Western Ideal on July 29, 2000. The six-year-old son of Cam’s Card Shark has banked more than $2. 1 million for the FS Starzzzz Stables Inc. of Glenwood, New Jersey.

Mini Me [$2.20, $2.10], Art’s Chip [$2.10], Luckyisasluckydoes and Allamerican Captor also advance to the Haughton Final.

In the fifth race, the second division of the Haughton, Richard T. Banca’s Life Source [$5.00, $2.60, $2.40] scored a one length victory over Boulder Creek [$2.60, $2.40] in 1:48 flat, a world record for older geldings, replacing the mark of 1:48.2 shared by Red Bow Tie, Art Dialing and Armbro Proposal.

It was three and a quarter back to Peruvian Hanover [$7.60] in third. Also advancing will be Royal Mattjesty and Camcracker.

“This is a swell horse, one of the nicest horses I’ve driven,” said Cat Manzi of Life Source. “Tonight he put it together, and I’m hoping next week he will put it together, too. I love racing that horse.”

Trained by Richard J. Banca, the seven-year-old gelded son of Life Sign has nearly $1.1 million in earnings.

The parade of records began in the second race when Camelot Hall scored a two and a half length victory over Western Terror [$3.00, $2.80] in the $85,000 Jersey Cup, equaling the 1:49 flat track record for three-year-old pacers shared by Real Desire [August 3, 2001], McArdle [August 3, 2002], Whatanartist [July 5, 2003].

It was Camelot Hall’s first win of the year in four starts and marked him as one of the favorite’s in next week’s eliminations for the $1 million Meadowlands. Pace.

“He needed to go a mile like this tonight,” said winning driver George Brennan. “Going 1:49, maybe that will take a little starch out of him and do him some good. He’s not really gotten any taller, maybe filled out a bit [from age two], but basically he’s the same colt and one of the most powerful horses I’ve driven.”

“That’s the horse everyone has expected to see,” said Mark Harder, who took over the colt’s training this past week. “I made zero changes. I did nothing different from what Darren [McCall] has done with the horse. Darren had him ready not me. Everyone knows this colt is quick so it doesn’t surprise me, and it [1:49] is what he needs to be going to be competitive. I won’t do anything different. I can only mess him up. I’ll just stay on what Darren has done with him.”

In the final stakes of the night, the sixth race, Rainbow Blue [$2.40, $2.10] extended her winning streak to 13 with a three-length victory in the $85,171 Ladyship Stakes in a personal best of 1:50.1.

The three-year-old daughter of Artiscape, trained by co-owner George Teague Jr., posted her ninth win in nine starts this year and pushed her earnings to more than $360,000.

Rainbow Blue also carried driver Ron Pierce to his 5,000th career victory.

“This is some serious filly, a sweetheart,” said Pierce. “She had plenty in her tank. She could have gone a lot more.

“It’s good to get it over with,” Pierce said of the career milestone. “I wasn’t even paying attention to it until the other night when Holly [Meadowlands statistician Bob Heyden] brought it to my attention that I was three wins away. Then I started the countdown. I thought I’d get it last night while driving Mr Muscleman. But it was really nice to get it with Rainbow Blue, one of the best fillies I’ve ever driven.

Sharing the winner’s circle with Pierce were family and friends, including trainer Art Unger.

“Mr. [Art] Unger got me my license and got me my first winner — Clands Amber,” Pierce recalled.