A change in strategy helped Cruzin Angel to a career-best 1:53 victory last week at the Meadowlands

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She looks to follow up that effort in the $46,000 Night Styles final on Friday night. In round two of the series, Cruzin Angel withstood heavy pressure on the lead en route a $19 upset with Ron Pierce driving. The daughter of Yankee Cruiser owns seven wins in 25 starts and sports earnings of $53,492 for trainer Dan De Vitis and owners George Green of Clarksburg, NJ and Rhonda Heady of Peoria, AZ.

“Ron decided to send her out of there and see what she could do on the front end,” said De Vitis of his mare’s round two performance. “She held her own and it worked out well. I was a little surprised with the way she held on so gamely and took a new lifetime mark, yet I was really happy for her.

“This week we’ll just stick to her basic routine and keep her calm and relaxed,” he continued. “We’ve really just taken our time with her and not pushed her. She protects herself pretty good.”

Cruzin Angel was a bargain $5,200 yearling purchase at the Ohio Selected Jug Sale. She finished second in an Ohio Breeders Championship division during Jug Week last year at the Delaware, OH fairgrounds.

Although she will starting from Post 10 in a tough field, De Vitis is pleased with the way his mare is coming into final.

“She can perform either way, so I’m thinking Ron will try to leave with her a little and try to find some live cover coming home,” said De Vitis, 46, of Jackson, NJ. “She’s improving, she’s still green and learning, but coming along.”

De Vitis, who worked for noted NJ horsemen Tony Abbatiello and Carl LeCause, is stabled at Gaitway Farm in Englishtown, NJ.

“We had some great moments, and I learned a lot from those two gentlemen,” he noted.

(Meadowlands)