from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Load The Dice will need all the help he can muster to pull off the upset over Lis Mara in the $285,000 Graduate Final on Saturday night, May 19, at the Meadowlands.

A recent equipment change, the luck of the post position draw and the comfort of being back at his home base may just help the gritty 5-year-old pacer get the job done. Load The Dice will start from the rail (head #2) in the Graduate, race seven, and is rated at 20-1 on the morning line.

The Graduate shares the spotlight with the $185,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial for free for all trotters. The undercard features the first leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for 3-year-old colt pacers, in which Artzina, the 2006 2-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year, will make his first start of the season.

Trained by John McDermott, Load The Dice rode a lengthy hot streak from October 14, 2006–February 24, 2007. He was first or second in 13 of 14 starts during that period, winning 10 races. After dominating the free for all ranks at Balmoral throughout the fall, he shipped to the Meadowlands in January for the Presidential Series, in which he won a preliminary leg and finished second to Nuclear Breeze in the $116,600 final. Load The Dice was then sent to Pompano Park in Florida, where he captured the $157,500 Isle of Capri Pace on February 24.

After a month off and a few disappointing starts at the Meadowlands, McDermott shipped the pacer back to the Midwest for the Battle of Lake Erie on April 21 at Northfield, in which he was eighth, and the Dan Patch on April 28 at Hoosier, a fifth place finish.

“Shipping really affected him by going to a few different tracks,” McDermott said. “When he came back from Florida he was sick. It was the worst move to send him off to the other tracks. When he came back from Florida, he had a virus. It swept through my entire barn. Now that he is back in his barn and at this track, hopefully he will get his energy back.

“In Indiana (Hoosier Cup) he was steering poorly,” he continued. “I made some equipment changes on him and he was steering much better (in last Saturday’s Graduate prep race). He has to freshen up. He likes being stabled steady, so hopefully that will help.”

Load The Dice finished sixth in last week’s Graduate prep race, won by Stonebridge Regal in a scorching 1:48.1.

“I was happy with the way he raced (in the prep),” McDermott said. “I was happy with the way Dave (Miller) drove him by sitting in with him. Hopefully, it will strengthen him up for next week. He is not quite the horse he was. He is already tired. We need to freshen him up. It is so hard to do right now. We want to give him time and find out what is bugging him. We need to get him back in top form. Hopefully, being home for a few weeks will help him.”

Load The Dice has won 18 of 71 career starts and banked $567,420 for Illinois-based Engel Stables, D.R. Van Witzenburg and the Sheffield Stable of Gladwyne, Pennsylvania.

$285,000 Graduate – Race 7 – Saturday, May 19
HN, PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, 4, Total Truth, Ron Pierce, George Teague Jr., 5-1
1A, 9, Western Ace, David Miller, George Teague Jr., 5-1
2, 1, Load The Dice, David Miller, John Mc Dermott, 20-1
3, 2, Boulder Creek, Daniel Dube, Mark Silva, 8-1
4, 3, Lis Mara, Brian Sears, Erv Miller, Even
5, 5, Shark Gesture, George Brennan, Erv Miller, 10-1
6, 6, Stonebridge Regal, John Campbell, Robert McIntosh, 8-1
7, 7, J K CU Later, Yannick Gingras, Mickey Burke, 15-1
8, 8, Artistic Fella, Cat Manzi, Steve Elliott, 4-1

Brunton Tilly inherits role of favorite in Cutler

With Mr Muscleman skipping town for Sweden’s Elitlopp, Brunton Tilly was installed the 9-5 favorite in the $185,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial on Saturday night at the Meadowlands.

The 9-year-old gelding will start from post seven in the Cutler, which is named for the late New York restaurateur whose ventures included Carmine’s, Virgil’s and Ollie’s Noodle Shop.

Trained by Richard “Nifty” Norman, Brunton Tilly has won four out of six starts since shipping to the United States earlier this spring. The half-brother to world champion Victory Tilly finished third in last week’s Cutler Memorial prep, won by Mr Muscleman, after grinding out a first-over trip and drifting wide in the lane.

$185,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial – Race 5 – Saturday, May 19
PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, Sand Vic, Brain Sears, Trond Smedshammer, 3-1
2, Corleone Kosmos, John Campbell, Ross Croghan, 4-1
3, Striking Mystery, Tba, Brian Roland, 20-1
4, Bacardi Lindy, David Miller, Steve Elliott, 20-1
5, Ripped, George Brennan, Gary Napierala, 5-1
6, Med Vac, Andy Miller, Noel Daley, 8-1
7, Brunton Tilly, Ron Pierce, Richard Norman, 9-5
8, Elegant Man, David Miller, Robert Bencal, 12-1