EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – February 21, 2004 – Escape The Wind [$2.80, $2.20, $2.10] scored his fifth straight victory and a series sweep, capturing the third race, the $72,275 Aquarius, one of three finals on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

Escape The Wind claimed the lead by the half and repelled the challenge of Pronger, pacing the mile in 1:50.3, one-fifth of a second off the stakes record of 1:50.2, set by Die Lute in 2000. The Aquarius is restricted to four-year-old pacers.

Roger Mayotte, Escape The Wind’s trainer, driver and co-owner, guided him to a length and a half tally over Boulder Creek [$3.40. $2.10]. Pronger [$2.10] held on for third, a length and three-quarters back.

“It set up much like it did last week,” said Mayotte, of Mississauga, Ontario. “I settled him out of the gate and retook on the backside. Pronger made a challenge around the last turn. I knew he would be coming sometime. My horse felt very strong and competitive. I let him pace into the lane, and he took off into the stretch. I haven’t pulled the [ear] plugs yet. He’ll go back to Canada now and have six weeks off until the Spring Championship.”

Escape The Wind, owned by Mayotte’s Early Bird Stable and the Venture 2000 Stable of Louis Liebenau of Thornhill, Ontario; Stavros Kourgiantakis of Hollywood, Florida, Ross Warriner of Burlington, Ontario, now has 13 wins, three seconds and two thirds from 19 career starts for a bankroll of $540,071.

“Roger Mayotte has done a great job with him, being patient and managing him professionally,” said co-owner Lou Liebenau. “Right from the very start he had potential. He’s very natural and he wants to go.

He’s ambitious on his own. It was quite a race. Pronger went a big mile coming first over.”

“He raced super,” said Ron Pierce, who guided Pronger. “He should have been second, but I had to fish to get his earplugs out. I think that cost me second place. I had to find them with my foot for an eighth of a mile.”

FOUR STARZZZ KING SNAGS $95,000 JUNIOR TRENDSETTER

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Four Starzzz King drew off to a two and three-quarter length victory in the fourth race, the $95,000 Junior Trendsetter Final, setting a stakes record of 1:53 flat for the mile.

Four Starzzz King [$6.40, $3.80, $3.00] refused to yield to Kenny The Cowboy N and drew off to a two and three-quarter length victory in the fourth race, the $95,000 Junior Trendsetter Final, setting a stakes record of 1:53 flat for the mile.

Owned by the FS Starzzzz Stables Inc. of Glenwood, New Jersey, Four Starzzz King was guided to his second win in three starts this year by Richard Silverman. Anglebrook [$5.40, $5.00] got up for second and it was five lengths to Yankees In Seven [$5.20] in third.

“I had watched him race last week on television, and thought he was phenomenal,” said Silverman, who was driving the three-year-old son of The Pandersosa for the first time. “He shows he has a lot of class.

This colt will fall asleep on the lead so I was hoping he’d dig in.”

“It was a big effort,” said trainer Dave Sabatelli. “I think he was very game. I thought we were in trouble when Kenny the Cowboy got to him. He’s a real good horse. But when Richie got into him, I wasn’t sure he’d have enough. I was impressed with how he drew away. He has the Matt’s Scooter, Suslow and Berry’s Creek coming up.”

Four Starzzz King now has four wins and two seconds from nine career starts and earnings of $66,767.

DREAM ROCKET EXPLODES IN $70,000 EXIT 16W

Dream Rocket [$7.80, $4.00, $3.00] exploded up the pylons for a half-length tally over It’s Not Luck [$5.00, $4.40] in the fifth race, the $70,000 Exit 16W Final to complete a sweep of the series and extend his winning streak to three.

Casimir Camotion, It’s Not Luck’s entrymate, and West Gun [$5.20] deadheated for third, a length back.

Dream Rocket, a four-year-old son of Pacific Rocket, owned by the Boy Oh Boy Stable of Manalapan, New Jersey, paced the mile in 1:52.3.

“The last two starts he was very sharp and came from the back,” said Jack Moiseyev, who has driven Dream Rocket the last three weeks.

“Iron Legend was coming pretty fast, I let him go and I got out. He’s used to going to the outside, but I left reigned him and hoped for the inside to open up and it did. He’s getting better each start.”

“I bought him as a claimer for here but I think he can [move up],” said trainer Jerry Evilsizor. “It’s all a party now. He’s in the Fox Series and more late closers in the fall.”

Dream Rocket improved his 2004 record to three wins, one second and one third from eighth starts. He has a career bankroll of $144,893.