from Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – April 17, 2004 – Articulator [$4.60, $2.80, $2.40] held on for his third straight victory, capturing the $40,000 open pace on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

The four-year-old son of Artiscape paced the mile in a lifetime best of 1:50 flat for a length and a quarter victory, repelling the late charge of Four Leaf Clover winner Sagebrush [$4.60, $3.40], who had his winning streak snapped at three. Canyon Wind [$3.80] was third by two and three-quarter lengths.

“He’s just really sharp right now,” said winning driver Brian Sears. “He raced just super tonight. I took a shot with him up front since there were a lot of tough horses to beat, coming first up or from way back. My horse is just so sharp right now I knew he could handle it.”

Articulator has five wins, a second and a third from 14 starts this year for Hartland Clay Horner of Toronto, Ontario, and Claude Incaudo of Marietta, New York. The Brett Pelling trainee has a lifetime bankroll of $255,716.

Gallo Blue Chip, the richest pacer of all time with $4.2 million, finished fifth in his return to the Meadowlands after a rare bout of sickness.

“He did all right,” said trainer Mark Ford. “He’s never been sick before in his life, or at least that we know of. We were at Freehold a couple of weeks ago [when he finished seventh on March 27], and we had a couple of horses coming in from Lexington. Our whole barn took a nosedive. So we gave him a couple of weeks off. He had a nice easy race tonight that should bounce right back from.”

BRANDON’S COWBOY & WHODUNIT WIN SUSLOW DIVISIONS

Brandon’s Cowboy exploded and Whodunit battled to win their respective $22,500 division of the Robert J. Suslow Series. Both three-year-old pacers will advance to the $76,750 Suslow, one of a trio of Spring Series Finals on Saturday, April 24.

Brandon’s Cowboy [$5.00, $3.00, $2.20] accelerated the last eighth of mile and scored a half-length victory over Georgia Pacific[$3.40, $2.60]. Driven to Win [$3.00] was third by two lengths. Brandon’s Cowboy, who paced a lifetime best of 1:51.2 for the mile, now has two wins in two Suslow starts.

“When I tapped him a few times, he just took off,” said winning driver Daniel Dube. Trained by Mark Ford, Brandon’s Cowboy races for Martin Scharf of Lawrence, New York and now has lifetime earnings of $114,212.

In the second division, carded as the third race, Whodunit [$5.40, $3.20, $2.60] took the lead before the quarter and withstood the challenge of Crazy For Ever [$8.60, $3.80] for a half-length victory in 1:52.3. Circle L Kid [$2.80] was third by two and a quarter lengths.

Whodunit, driven by Cat Manzi and trained by Jake Huff, posted his third win with one second and two thirds in seven starts this year. Last week, in his Meadowlands debut, he finished second to Brandon’s Cowboy in the first round of the Suslow.

“He was in with a weaker bunch this week,” Manzi acknowledged. “And the trainer made a couple of changes on him, which did good for him. He’s a real nice racehorse. He put aluminum shoes on the front, just little things to help.”

“I thought it was a good race,” said trainer Huff. “He was very game. He’s raced on the front one other time in Florida, but he’s a lazy horse. It looked like they might get him at the eighth pole, but he came alive again.”

Whodunit races for the Father and Son Stable of Melville, New York; Marcia Gingold of Boynton Beach, Florida, and Philip Marrone of Northport, New York. The son of Artiscape – Nadia Lobell, a $22,000 yearling purchase, now has lifetime earnings of $22,149.