from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Undefeated 3-year-old pacing filly Tug River Princess extended her winning streak to 12 races in the $68,900 Blossom Final on Wednesday night (April 16) at the Meadowlands.

Lisa Photo

Tug River Princess was a 1:53 winner for John Campbell in the Blossom Series Final.

Driver John Campbell brushed Tug River Princess to the lead earlier than he had intended as the field crawled through a :29.3 opening quarter. She paced comfortably down the backstretch and easily repelled the challenge of Erma La Em on the final turn. Tug River Princess pulled away to a 3-1/4 length victory over the pocket sitter Cheyenne Trish in 1:53. Sent off the 1-9 favorite, she paid $2.10 to win the third race.

“We were going a very slow clip,” Campbell noted. “She’s actually better off the pace, but with the fractions the way they were, I just moved her on to the front and it worked out well. She’s never been tired, that’s one quality I’ve noticed about her. She will be, eventually, when the racing gets tougher. In the starts she’s had, she’s been very longwinded and never gets tired as they reach the wire. She’s much better off cover and I think she’s got the chance to compete with the top fillies. If she gets in and they’re going faster fractions, I think she’ll have a real good kick going home.”

Tug River Princess, trained by Ross Croghan, also swept the Tender Loving Care Series in February at the Meadowlands. The partnership of Let It Ride Stables, Robert Cooper Stables, and Jerry Silva purchased the daughter of Badlands Hanover from her breeder and previous owner Michael Tait on March 27, 2008.

Tug River Princess is eligible to the $350,000 Mistletoe Shalee, the premier event for pacing fillies to be raced during the Championship Meet at the Meadowlands. The Mistletoe Shalee will be raced on Hambletonian Day, August 2.