from Meadowlands Media Relations

HP Paque and Fool’s Goal each easily won their respective $50,000 round two division of the Su Mac Lad Series on Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands and advance to the $100,000 estimated trotting final on April 4.

In the first division, the fifth race, HP Paque [$4.00, $2.20, $2.10] coasted to a length and three-quarter victory over Windylane Hanover [$2.40, $2.10] in a swift 1:54 flat for the mile, a lifetime best. Flapjack Attack [$3.00] led the trailing group, finishing third by 10 and a quarter lengths.

Trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer positioned HP Paque, winner of both of his 2004 starts, on the lead off the gate and rejected the backside challenge of Windylane Hanover, who suffered her first loss in three starts this year.

The world-traveling seven-year-old, owned by Timo H. Yli Panula of Pompano Beach, Florida, now has career earnings of $960,891.

“It was his second start [this year] so he was stronger,” said Smedshammer. “If everything goes all right, we will leave the end of April, beginning of May [to race in Europe].”

Fool’s Goal [$3.80, $2.40, $2.20] drew off to a three and a quarter-length victory in 1:55.3 in the second division, carded as the sixth. Diamond Goal [$3.20, $2.60] edged out Dink Adoo [$4.20] for second.

Fool’s Goal, the trotting champion of 2002, controlled the tempo of the race and won under a hand drive by Jack Moiseyev. The Jim Doherty trainee has banked more than $2.6 million for Bruce McElven of Pemberton, New Jersey, and Ronald Allen of Southampton, New Jersey.

“He was perfect,” said Moiseyev, who has been splitting his time this week between the track and visiting his father, Sid, in the hospital. “I was very happy with him. He was loaded with trot. He is back to his old self. Last week, after the first quarter slowed up real quick, he got jammed up [and broke stride].”

“He went good,” concurred Hall of Famer Jim Doherty, who trains Fool’s Goal. “Last week, he got jammed. They were going too slow, and he is not too smart. They just got backed up, and he got stuck in traffic. After [the Su Mac Lad Final], he has a full schedule this year with the Classic Series, Nat Ray, Breeders Crown and the Maple Leaf.”