by Paul Ramlow, USTA Internet News Manager

Columbus, OH — Joseph Muscara’s Mister Big stamped himself ready for his 6-year-old campaign as he rolled to a 1:51.2 score in a qualifying race on Thursday (May 28) at The Meadowlands.

Mister Big, with Brian Sears at the controls, got away second in an opening panel of :28.3, then brushed to the lead by the :56.1 half-mile marker. He set the pace to the three-quarter pole in 1:23.4, then unleashed a final panel in :27.3 to hit the wire in 1:51.2. The two-time Dan Patch Award winner romped to a 12-3/4 length score over another Dan Patch Award winner, Tug River Princess, who was last year’s 3-year-old pacing filly champion.

This was Mister Big‘s fifth qualifying effort of the season, all wins, and trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr. now plans on racing him next weekend in a pari-mutuel race at either The Meadowlands or Harrah’s Chester. His first stakes engagement of the season will be in the $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational at Hoosier Park on June 20.

Mister Big ranks fifth on the all-time money list for pacers with $3,225,121. He is chasing Gallo Blue Chip, who banked $4,260,959 lifetime, for the top spot.

Other Meadowlands qualifiers on Thursday were captured by:

• 2008 Yonkers Trot winner Napoleon (Trond Smedshammer, 1:56.1);
• 2008 Matron 2-year-old colt trot champion Explosive Matter (Ron Pierce, 1:55.2);
• 2008 American-National 3-year-old pacing filly winner Btwnyurheartnmine (Eric Goodell, 1:53.3); and
• 2008 Progress Pace winner Bettor Sweet (John Campbell, 1:52.4), who was scratched sick from the May 16 Graduate final.