from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Lady Mattgalane ($9.20, $4.60, $2.40) came first-up to take the lead entering the stretch and sailed home to a confident 1-1/4 length win in Friday night’s (May 25) elimination race for the $200,000 Thomas D’Altrui Miss New Jersey at the Meadowlands.

Lisa Photo

Lady Mattgalane was a 1:53 winner in the Miss New Jersey elimination.

Driven by Brian Sears, Lady Mattgalane paced the mile in 1:53. Current Hanover ($4.00, $2.60) picked up cover behind the winner and closed in :26.3 to finish second. Artistic Ideal ($2.80) nabbed the show spot.

The top 10 of 11 in the field advanced to the $200,000 final on Saturday, June 2. Joining the top three finishers are: Calgary Hanover (fourth), Platinum Hanover (fifth), Career Artist (sixth), Speed Date (seventh), Me And My Baby (eighth), Ideal Sunrise (ninth), and Southwind Rio (tenth).

Lady Mattgalane was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling at the 2005 New Jersey Classic Sale by Perretti Racing Stable and Clay and Scott Horner. The daughter of Artiscape raced under the care of conditioner Richard Norman during her 2-year-old season and entered Greg Peck’s barn at the end of 2006. She won four of seven starts at 2 for $145,367 in earnings. The Miss New Jersey elimination was just her second start of the 2007 season. In her sophomore debut, on May 18, she finished fourth in a New Jersey Sire Stakes division.

“We got her last November,” said Mark Jordan, assistant trainer for the Peck barn. “She’s always got a great attitude. In her first start, she had a skin fungus. She needed that first start and she’s over the skin fungus now. We changed her shoes from steel to aluminum all the way around. It looked like Brian (Sears) never had to raise the whip. She did it on her own.”