East Rutherford, NJ – Aintmyfirstro Deo made easy work of his four foes in the $180,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum Division final for 2-year-old male pacers on a rain-drenched Friday (Aug. 7) at the Meadowlands, equaling his lifetime mark of 1:52 and extending his career record to four-for-four.
Yannick Gingras wasted no time putting Aintmyfirstro Deo in play from post 2 when the gates opened, and the Perfect Sting-Some Renditions gelding floated clear of the pole-sitting Velvet Ditch (driven by Tim Tetrick) an eighth of a mile into the race. Aintmyfirstro Deo traveled unopposed through early fractions of :28 and :57 before Velvet Ditch mounted a mild bid out of the pocket at the 1:25.4 three-quarter station.
Off the home turn, Aintmyfirstro Deo responded to Velvet Ditch’s bid by sprinting home in :26.1 and opening a 4-1/2-length margin of victory while under a stout rein. Velvet Ditch protected second from We Want Eazy (Todd McCarthy), who finished third after stalking the top pair.
“When he got closer to qualifiers, he showed that he had a lot of talent, but he wasn’t an easy horse to break,” said Scott Zeron, who was sidelined due to a racing accident at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Thursday after driving Aintmyfirstro Deo to his first three victories last month. “He’s developed and matured nicely; he’s a big, strong horse, and he’s shown he can carry speed a long way.
“He’s been extremely impressive, and it’s good to see him four-for-four.”
Megan Scran trains Aintmyfirstro Deo, who paid $2.40 to win as the 1-5 favorite and increased his career earnings to $130,000, for Hutchison Harness LLC.
In the $225,000 Platinum final for rookie pacing fillies, Perfect Body made an early push to the front and never looked back en route to a career-best 1:50.2 victory.
Brett Beckwith left from post 8 with the Perfect Sting-Sweet Body filly, and the pair accelerated clear of Wendy J Stings (Dexter Dunn) to seize control of the pace before the :27 first quarter. Perfect Body maintained a solid pace through middle splits of :54.4 and 1:22.3, evading a gradual first-over push from Sterl The Pearl (Joe Bongiorno) through the far turn before edging away off the corner for home.
“I wanted to keep the pace honest and cut the mile; I wanted to keep it in my own hands,” explained Beckwith. “I thought she’s a filly that could handle it.”
As Sterl The Pearl leveled off, Dunn found room to vacate the pocket with Wendy J Stings in upper stretch, but Perfect Body dug in to keep her pocket rival a length at bay for her second career win from five starts. Butterfly Effect (Mark Herschberger) rallied around stalled cover to finish third.
“She’s a filly that’s really strong; she does everything comfortably,” said Beckwith of Perfect Body, who has earned $140,500 for the partnership of Randall Beach, Craig Smith, Charles Rowe and Carl Austin Jr. “As soon as she could put it together, I thought she could go an effort like that.”
As a 2-1 joint favorite, Perfect Body paid $6.60 to win.
The New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum Division finals for 2-year-old trotters will take place on the Hambletonian Day (Saturday, Aug. 8) undercard.
A quartet of New Jersey Sire Stakes Silver Division finals served as supporting events on Friday’s program. The winners were:
· 2-Year-Old Male Pace: Yellow Jacket (Perfect Sting-Wingding Hanover), driven by Todd McCarthy for trainer Joe Holloway to his first career win in 1:54.4
· 2-Year-Old Filly Pace: Call Me Crazy (Perfect Sting-Beach Crazy), driven by trainer Stacy Chiodo to her first career win in 1:54.3
· 2-Year-Old Male Trot: Wyoming (Walner-Wahoo Broline S), driven by Yannick Gingras for trainer Åke Svanstedt in a career best 1:55.1
· 2-Year-Old Filly Trot: Day One Dandy (Walner-Delilah Hanover), driven by Johnathan Ahle for trainer Nifty Norman in a career best-equaling 1:54
A LITTLE MORE: Yannick Gingras led the driver colony with five winners on the night. … Ake Svanstedt’s three victories topped the trainers. … All-source handle on the 14-race program totaled $2,270,128. … Racing resumes Saturday, Hambletonian Day, with a star-studded, stakes-laden 16-race program that gets underway at noon.