from Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – February 5, 2005 – Life Source, driven by George Brennan, found room up the pylons and drew off to a length and a half victory in the fifth race, the $108,600 Presidential Final on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

His mile in 1:50.1 set a stakes record, a fifth of a second off the mark of 1:50.2 established by Red Bow Tie in 1999.

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The mile by Life Source in 1:50.1 set a stakes record, a fifth of a second off the mark of 1:50.2 established by Red Bow Tie in 1999.

Life Source [$6.00, $4.00, $2.20] improved his record to two wins, a second and a third in five starts this year and a lifetime total of 36 wins, 29 seconds and 22 thirds from 155 starts for a career bankroll of $1,576,400.

Make It Brief [$5.00, $2.80], who cut the fractions, held on for second. It was a length three-quarters to Eaton Road Kill {$2.20] in third.

“He just got a great trip,” said trainer Richard J. Banca. “Everything worked out. I was hoping that was how the race was going to go. You never know how things are going to be in a race like this. He’s had a very good week. Next week he’ll go in the $80,000 [Super] Invitational.”

The eight-year-old son of Life Sign was acquired by Banca’s father, Richard T. Banca, of Franklin Lakes, New Jersey, in October of 2003 and has earned back more than $750,000 for them.

“He raced great,” Brennan said. “It was the same two-hole trip as I got last week [to win the second round of the three-week series]. I got the luck of the draw and got the rail which is a good place to be because there was five to six horses in there that could have won it. He got a good post and a good trip.”

“I chose to leave because I didn’t want to get stuck on the rail or go first up,” said Patrick Lachance, the driver of runner-up Make It Brief.

“I’d rather be on the front. Nobody else was leaving. Life Source got a perfect trip. If the roles were reversed, I think he [Make It Brief] would have won.”