Off a grinding return-to-form effort in defeat in the last preliminary, driver Dexter Dunn took authority with Sabonis for a slam-dunk 1:47.3 victory in the $310,810 Stan Bergstein Graduate Series Pace on Saturday, July 5 at The Meadowlands.

Sabonis pushed from post two and landed third in the early firing line with Captain Luke (Jason Bartlett) swooping forward from post seven and marching to grab the lead through a :26.1 first quarter. Dunn then vacated his seat at the cones and brushed towards the top – with Nijinsky (Louis-Philippe Roy) and Captain Albano (Todd McCarthy) following suit – entering the backstretch.

While Sabonis easily crossed and cleared the lead before a :54 half, Nijinsky struggled to push past when first over into the far turn. Sabonis stayed on the muscle while pressed by Nijinsky to three-quarters in 1:21.2 and shrugged away that rival spinning for home. Captain Luke became the main threat in the stretch with a furious rally through an inside seam off the pocket trip, but Dunn kept Sabonis to task in the final-quarter sprint to stave off that charge by three-quarter lengths. Nijinsky held third from Captain Albano, who tipped wide from his second-over trip to take fourth.

“I was happy to let Nijinsky to go,” winning driver Dexter Dunn said, “but he just couldn’t quite get around me and my fellow was travelling so strongly at the time. Once he fought off Nijinsky and I asked him to speed at the top of the straight, he knuckled down good.”  

Diamond Creek Racing acquired Sabonis from previous owner Pat Miller and trainer Aaron Stutzman – off a sophomore campaign with 16 wins from 18 starts – before the 2025 season, but the four-year-old stallion by Tellitlikeitis-Gypsy Bellevue floundered in his first two starts. Both driver Dexter Dunn and trainer Brett Pelling said some equipment changes got the stallion back in the right direction.

“The one race he disappointed everyone there [on June 13th], he went three high on the turn, got hung up on the head pole… I was concerned, but Dexter said he was good,” Brett Pelling said. “We just needed to let him run in a little bit, let him do his thing and we’ll be fine. So we just put the equipment on a little differently and he’s gone forward ever since.”

Diamond Creek Racing shares ownership of Sabonis, an 18-time winner with $843,794 in earnings, with Pelling Racing LLC. He paid $11.60 to win.

Last season’s Hambletonian Oaks winner Warrawee Michelle, one of three mares in the field and a rank outsider in the wagering, won the $310,810 Stan Bergstein Graduate Series Four-Year-Old Open Trot on Saturday.

Trainer and co-owner Ake Svanstedt was in the bike to guide the daughter of Walner-Sound Check to a personal-best 1:50.2 effort.

It was a flashy mile with a lot of movement as Warrawee Michelle left swiftly off the gate along with Gruesome Twosome (Yannick Gingras), 7-5 favourite Private Access (Roy) and Amazing Catch (Todd McCarthy). Scrambling for control, the early leavers cut the first quarter in a scorching :26.3.

The shuffling began and Warrawee Michelle took back to race wide towards the middle of the pack when Gruesome Twosome pressed by Sir Pinocchio (Bartlett) for the lead. Private Access then pushed forward for the front with Highland Kismet (Dunn) catching his cover and the half remained fiery to a :54.3 clocking. Warrawee Michelle meanwhile caught a perch second over and Private Access took over the lead to the turn. Highland Kismet continued to pressure outside, but began to waver as Private Access strode through three-quarters in 1:22.3.  

As the early muscle weakened, Svanstedt's mare powered off cover full of trot going into the stretch while Elista Hanover (David Miller) flew from the rear to make a late bid. Warrawee Michelle was too much for Elista Hanover's charge and won handily by a neck. On the pylons, Private Access held third and Security Protected (Andy McCarthy) rallied for fourth.

This start was the fourth in 2025 for Ake's mare – and her first win since August of 2024 – while she collected her eighth victory from 23 starts in her career.

"She was out the entire way," Svanstedt said, "and she was really good." He said he was confident coming into the race. "She had bad post positions several times but was good enough to beat the boys. She can compete against the best."

The win sent the four-year-old's earnings over the $1.3 million mark for owners Ake Svanstedt Inc., Santandrea Inc. and Young Guns. Sent at odds of 13-1, she paid $28 to win.

With only 10 horses having dropped into the entry box for the Meadowlands Pace, there was no need for eliminations, so The Big M carded a three-year-old Open, aka the Meadowlands Pace Prep.

Papis Pistol (Papi Rob Hanover-Bang Bang), off a qualifier in which he was an uninspiring fourth coming back sick, charged up the inside to gun down 4-5 favourite Captain Optimistic in 1:49.1.

“I didn’t know how he would race, but I knew he was feeling good,” said winning trainer Sam DePinto about his student who was on antibiotics after the qualifier. “He showed he was okay.”

For the prep, Papis Pistol had a new pilot. “Dave’s [Miller] a great driver, and the owners and the partnership wanted a Hall of Famer. I was a little nervous coming into the race but he beat some good horses tonight. [His versatility] It’s huge. When you win the Meadowlands Pace, you’re pretty much set for the rest of the year.”

Manolete raced from the rear in the field of six and rallied well along the inside to get second over Captain Optimistic in what was a good-looking tightener for next week’s $656,000 USD Pace.

A LITTLE MORE: Scott Zeron drove the winners of both ends of the Early Daily Double (paying $39.60) and Jordan Stratton swept the Late Double ($46.20). They led the driver colony with two winners apiece. … All-source handle on the abbreviated 10-race program totaled $2,479,707. … Racing resumes Friday, July 11 at 6:20 p.m.

(Meadowlands)