East Rutherford, NJ — Heading into Friday’s (Oct. 18) Breeders Crown eliminations at the Meadowlands, Looksgoodinloulou owned the distinction of being the fastest 2-year-old pacing filly of the season by way of her world record-equaling 1:48.3 win in the International Stallion Stakes. She nearly matched that mark in the first of two $25,000 Crown eliminations for rookie pacing fillies, prevailing in a Big M divisional track record 1:48.4.
Looksgoodinloulou and driver Yannick Gingras protected pylon position on the first turn, yielding to third and stalking 55-1 pacesetter My Sweet Lily through a :53.1 first half. As Dexter Dunn pulled Miki And Minnie out of the pocket to wear down My Sweet Lily on the far turn, Looksgoodinloulou angled second-over to ensure clear sailing turning for home, and the Sweet Lou-Looksgoodinaromper filly struck the front with a sixteenth to go on her way to a half-length win. Rodeo Drive Deo (David Miller) rallied three-wide to complete an exacta for trainer Ron Burke, Miki And Minnie finished third, and longshots Gigglingonthebeach and Millie May Hanover completed the top five finishers.
“I didn’t want to get away third off slow fractions, so I did push on the first turn,” said Gingras. “But after that, I figured when the field was coming I would pull. The trip worked out.”
Now a winner in four of seven career starts, Looksgoodinloulou has earned $252,675 for breeders Burke Racing Stable and Weaver Bruscemi, who share ownership with Larry Karr and Phil Collura. As the 3-5 favorite, she returned $3.20 to win.
“She can do anything; she’s a complete pro,” Gingras continued. “The fractions were hot, but she got a good trip out of it. She’s one of the best 2-year-old pacing fillies I’ve ever driven; she’s really, really nice.”
The second $25,000 Crown elimination for rookie pacing fillies saw New York Sire Stakes champion The Last Martini chase cover on the far turn and roll down the center of the track for a 1:51 win.
The Last Martini settled in sixth while 1-5 favorite Rose clicked off early splits of :27.1 and :55.1. Doug McNair angled the Huntsville-Martinique filly off the pegs at the half-mile pole, and the pair advanced steadily before flushing Duration out from third midway on the far turn. As Duration and driver Todd McCarthy ground forward to collar Rose in deep stretch, The Last Martini switched three-wide and lunged to likewise nab Duration by a half-length. Unreasonable lifted down the grandstand side to nab Rose for third; Cant See Me completed the top five.
“She’s been getting better and better as the year went on,” said McNair. “She finished second to Chantilly (in the She’s a Great Lady); I was really impressed with that. I figured if I got her in the right spot that she could keep up with them.”
Jared Bako trains The Last Martini, a four-time winner from nine starts with $353,847 in the bank, for Glenview Livestock Ltd. The Crawford Farms-bred filly paid $11.20 to win.
The top five finishers from each elimination will reconvene for the $700,000 final on Oct. 25. By virtue of their elimination wins, Looksgoodinloulou and The Last Martini will draw for posts one through six.
A LITTLE MORE: Dexter Dunn had the hot hand, leading the driver colony with four wins on the card. His shortest-priced winner went off at 5-2. … Ron Burke led the trainers with three walks down victory lane. … All-source handle on the 13-race program was $1,562,648. … Live racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m. with 11 Breeders Crown eliminations for 3-year-old and older horses. Some of the featured performers include Kentucky Futurity winner Sig Sauer, Little Brown Jug champ Captain Albano, Hambletonian winner Karl and the current leader in the Horse of the Year race, Twin B Joe Fresh. … If you can’t make it to the track, catch all of the action on Fox Sports 2 (FS2) from 7:30-11 p.m.
Below is the draw for the 2-year-old Breeders Crown Final for pacing fillies (elimination winners italicized)
PP – Horse – Driver – Trainer
1 – Looksgoodinloulou – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke
2 – Duration – Todd McCarthy – Tony Alagna
3 – Millie May Hanover – Todd McCarthy – Andrew Harris
4 – Rose – Yannick Gingras – Ron Burke
5 – Gigglingonthebeach – Andrew McCarthy – Juan Cano
6 – The Last Martini – Doug McNair – Jared Bako
7 – Cant See Me – Bob McClure – Mark Steacy
8 – Unreasonable – Scott Zeron – Erv Miller
9 – Miki And Minnie – Dexter Dunn – Chris Ryder
10 – Rodeo Drive Deo – David Miller – Ron Burke