Aintmyfirstro Deo made easy work of his four foes in the $253,521 New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum Division final for two-year-old male pacers on a rain-drenched Friday, Aug. 7 at The Meadowlands, equalling his lifetime mark of 1:52 and extending his career record to four-for-four.

Five-time Friday winner Yannick Gingras wasted no time putting Aintmyfirstro Deo in play from post two when the gates opened and the Perfect Sting-Some Renditions gelding floated clear of the pole-sitting Velvet Ditch (Tim Tetrick) an eighth of a mile into the race. Aintmyfirstro Deo travelled unopposed through early fractions of :28 and :57 before Velvet Ditch mounted a mild bid out of the pocket at the 1:25.4 three-quarter station.

Off the home turn, Aintmyfirstro Deo responded to Velvet Ditch's bid by sprinting home in :26.1 and opening a 4-1/2-length margin of victory while under a stout rein. Velvet Ditch protected second from We Want Eazy (Todd McCarthy), who finished third after stalking the top pair.

"When he got closer to qualifiers, he showed that he had a lot of talent, but he wasn't an easy horse to break," said Scott Zeron, who was sidelined due to a racing accident at MGM Yonkers Raceway on Thursday after driving Aintmyfirstro Deo to his first three victories last month. "He's developed and matured nicely; he's a big, strong horse and he's shown he can carry speed a long way.

"He's been extremely impressive and it's good to see him four-for-four."

Megan Scran trains Aintmyfirstro Deo, who paid $2.40 to win as the 1-5 favourite and increased his career earnings to $183,351, for owner Hutchison Harness of North Ridgeville, Ohio.

In the $316,901 Platinum final for rookie pacing fillies, Perfect Body made an early push to the front and never looked back en route to a career-best 1:50.2 victory.

Brett Beckwith left from post eight with the Perfect Sting-Sweet Body filly and the pair accelerated clear of Wendy J Stings (Dexter Dunn) to seize control of the pace before the :27 first quarter. Perfect Body maintained a solid pace through middle splits of :54.4 and 1:22.3, evading a gradual first-over push from Sterl The Pearl (Joe Bongiorno) through the far turn before edging away.

"I wanted to keep the pace honest and cut the mile; I wanted to keep it in my own hands," explained Beckwith. "I thought she's a filly that could handle it."

As Sterl The Pearl levelled off, Dunn found room to vacate the pocket with Wendy J Stings in upper stretch, but Perfect Body dug in to keep her pocket rival a length at bay for her second career win from five starts. Butterfly Effect (Mark Herschberger) rallied around stalled cover to finish third.

"She's a filly that's really strong; she does everything comfortably," said Beckwith of Perfect Body, who has earned $197,949 for trainer Christopher Choate and the partnership of Randall Beach of Sparta, New Jersey, Craig Smith of Warwick, New York, Charles Rowe of Port Murray, New Jersey and Carl Austin Jr. of Stewartsville, New Jersey. "As soon as she could put it together, I thought she could go an effort like that."

As a 2-1 joint favourite, Perfect Body paid $6.60 to win.

The New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum Division finals for two-year-old trotters will take place on the Hambletonian Day (Saturday, Aug. 8) undercard.

A quartet of New Jersey Sire Stakes Silver Division finals for two-year-olds served as supporting events on Friday's program. 

The male pacing division was won by Yellow Jacket (Perfect Sting-Wingding Hanover), driven by Todd McCarthy to his first career win in 1:54.4 for trainer Joe Holloway, while the maiden-breaking Call Me Crazy (Perfect Sting-Beach Crazy) took the filly pacing in 1:54.3 for trainer/driver Stacy Chiodo.

In the male trotting final, Wyoming (Walner-Wahoo Broline S) scored in in a career-best 1:55.1 with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Åke Svanstedt. The winning filly trotter was Day One Dandy (Walner-Delilah Hanover), driven by Johnathan Ahle for trainer Nifty Norman in a career best-equalling 1:54 mile.

In other freshman stakes action, Jk Simcha (Bulldog Hanover-Joyride Hanover) won the $35,211 third leg of the Kindergarten Series for pacing fillies. Gingras drove the Nancy Takter trainee, who has posted back-to-back 1:53.2 winning miles in the series to launch her career.

Captain Charlie (Captaintreacherous-Fashion Katie) earned his first win in the male pacing division, getting his nose to the wire first in 1:53.4 for trainer/driver Joe Bongiorno.

The third leg for trotting fillies went to Athenas Girl (Walner-Fashion Athena), who topped her favoured Marcus Melander stablemate Loves Passion (Dunn) by four lengths in 1:53.3 after making breaks in her first three starts in the NJSS Platinum prelims.

Lincoln Kronos (Walner-Chatty Kronos S) won the Kindergarten division for two-year-old male trotters in 1:54.1 over Bentley Blue Chip to give trainer Svanstedt a 1-2 finish. Gingras was aboard the first-time winner while Svanstedt drove the runner-up.

Melander and Svanstedt also sent out the winners of the first $42,254 pre-Hambo day division of the Continentalvictory Stakes for three-year-old trotting fillies as Crossover, driven by Dunn, dead-heated with Sparks and Gingras in a 1:52.4 mile. The time was a new personal best for both fillies.

The $70,423 division of the Muscle Hill Stakes for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings that went postward on Hambo eve went to Mothers Moni in a career-best 1:52 with Dunn driving for trainer Domenico Cecere.

Gingras led the driver colony with five winners on the night. Svanstedt’s three victories topped the trainers.

All-source handle on the 14-race program totalled $2,270,128 USD.

Racing resumes on Saturday, Hambletonian Day, with a star-studded, stakes-laden 16-race program that gets underway at noon.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)