from Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

Freehold, NJ — Bettor Sweet has not outgrown his habit of taking notice of everything around him — real or imagined — but if his world record mile in the Graduate eliminations last week is an indication, he is not spending time gawking.

Lisa photo

Bettor Sweet held off Shark Gesture by a half-length in their Graduate elimination.

The horse, driven by John Campbell and trained by Joe Poliseno, paced the fastest race mile in history for a 4-year-old, winning his Graduate elimination in 1:47.2 on May 9 at the Meadowlands Racetrack. The time eclipsed the mark of 1:47.3 shared by Jenna’s Beach Boy (1996) and Lis Mara (2006). The fastest mile of 1:47 was established in a time trial by Jereme’s Jet in 2007.

“I thought he could pace in (1):47 under the right circumstances, but he did it a lot sooner than I thought he would,” Poliseno said. “That was a pretty impressive mile. He’s filled out a lot, bulked up a bit, from last year; at least for him. He’s still not as big as the other horses, but he’s good for him.”

Last year, Bettor Sweet won nine of 17 races, including the Progress Pace at Dover Downs, and earned $313,231. This season, he has two wins in eight starts and six on-the-board finishes.

But success has not spoiled Bettor Sweet’s quirkiness.

“He’s still real goofy,” Poliseno said. “He sees everything; looks at everything. He wears a screen and a shadow roll, and getting the races into him has helped his mind a little bit.”

Favorite Shark Gesture finished a half-length behind Bettor Sweet in the Graduate elim, followed by Montecito N, Blueridge Western and McCedes. Winbak Speed won the other Graduate elim, beating Allamerican Idol by two lengths in 1:49. Mucho Sleazy, Western Shore, and Won The West rounded out the top five to advance to Saturday’s $210,000 final.

“There are a lot of good horses in there,” Poliseno said. “Any one of those horses can win that race depending on what happens.”