Grand Prix Deo pulled off a mild surprise in the division for fillies, and 6-5 public choice David Seaman S clicked in the dash for colts and geldings in the two $66,667 New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund finals for three-year-olds on the trot on Saturday, Aug. 29 at The Meadowlands

Grand Prix Deo took down Leading Lady, coming from off the pace for a second straight week when Leading Lady was a huge favourite, as the Andrew Harris trainee picked up her third win in 14 career outings. The winning time of 1:52.1 equalled the lifetime best the daughter of Muscle Hill-Grand Stand established a week ago.

Sugar Packet (Brett Beckwith) was on the point at the quarter in :28.1 before 1-5 chalk Leading Lady (Matt Kakaley), who was the 2-5 choice last week, sprinted up to command well before the three-eighths and led at the half in :56.4. Soon thereafter, the pocket-sitting Sugar Packet made an all-in maneuver, deuce-popping on the far turn before three-quarters was hit in 1:25, allowing Grand Prix Deo to advance to the two-hole for the stretch drive.

Leading Lady repelled Sugar Packet when they got to the eighth pole, but driver Joe Bongiorno found enough room in deep stretch after Sugar Packet weakened enough to create the necessary space and had just enough racetrack to get Grand Prix Deo up for a nose victory. Sugar Packet held on for third.

“My horse was really good last week,” said Bongiorno. “I figured if I put her in a close enough spot, maybe she could do the same thing she did last week and it ended up working out.

“Once Matt (Kakaley) moved Leading Lady to the front, she was going to be really hard to beat off those fractions. I thought Leading Lady would be tougher than she was tonight. Not to take anything away from my filly. She still trotted :27 flat home and zigged-zagged through the stretch to make things happen.”

As the 9-2 second choice in the six-horse field, Grand Prix Deo returned $11.20 to her backers.

The Ake Svansted-trained and -driven David Seaman S scored from the pocket to rack up his seventh lifetime score from 18 attempts.

Kingmen (Joe Bongiorno), the 3-1 third choice, broke stride at the start and was never in it, leaving it to David Seaman S and 8-5 second choice Captain Jordan (Brett Beckwith) to decide it.

Captain Jordan sailed around track on the front end in :27.3, :56.2 and 1:25, but even after opening up a two-length edge with three-sixteenths to go, got gunned down by David Seaman S, who displayed a good burst of speed nearing the wire. The winning margin was a neck in a mile that was timed in 1:53.2.

“He’s not a top three-year-old horse but he is a good one,” said Svanstedt. “He always does his best and has a very good attitude. Maybe he can be even better next year.

“When Bongiorno (driving Kingmen) broke there was one horse to beat, and it was Beckwith’s horse (Captain Jordan), so it changed my strategy. I was confident (at the sixteenth pole) that I was going to catch Beckwith.”

David Seaman S, a colt by Six Pack-Dreamgirl Hornline, paid $4.40 to win.

There were six $34,722 divisions of the fourth leg of the Kindergarten Series for two-year-olds of each sex and gait contested on the day, and two standouts extended their perfect records to five-for-five.

In a non-betting colt pace event before the pari-mutuel card, world-record holder Starstruck Dreamer notched another open-length victory. Andrew McCarthy moved the son of Captaintreacherous-Scarlett Hanover to the front past a :30 quarter and gradually increased the tempo to the half in :58 and three-quarters in 1:25.4, and the colt raced home to a 2-3/4-length triumph in 1:53.1. Bcs Odds On (Corey Callahan) took the place spot, followed by American Lou (Petter Engblom). Noel Daley trains the winner, who set a world record in a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes win on Aug. 14, for Steve Wienick Racing LLC,  Pryde Stables Inc., Jfoderatritchiecanamerica and Hyatt Holdings Inc. The colt's earnings now sit at $200,095.

After a perfect New Jersey Sire Stakes campaign concluded with a championship win, Aintmyfirstro Deo ($2.10) arrived in the Kindergarten Series and maintained undefeated status. The son of Perfect Sting-Some Renditions provided the panels of :27.4, :56.3 and 1:24.3 for Corey Callahan and reached the line a 1-3/4-length winner in 1:52.1. Yellow Jacket (Vinny Ginsburg) was second, followed by King Of Sting (Patrick Ryder). Aintmyfirstro Deo has earned $200,712 for trainer Megan Scran and owner Hutchison Harness LLC.

New Hope ($12.80), a colt by Greenshoe-Cloud Nine Fashion, took the male trot for driver Joe Bongiorno and trainer Linda Toscano in 1:53.1. He tallied his first win in four starts.

Rio De Janeiro ($2.40) captured the filly trot with a 1:55 mile. Bongiorno piloted the Walner-Devilish Delight miss to her third win in six tries for trainer Nancy Takter.

Amazing Tammy ($18), a daughter of Sweet Lou-Skyy, notched a 1:52.2 victory in the first filly pace with Bradley Chisholm in the bike for trainer Brett Pelling. The winner is now two-for-five.

Perfect Hope Deo ($5.20) went all the way in 1:52.1 in the second split for female pacers. Andy McCarthy steered the Perfect Sting-Machnhope filly for trainer Noel Daley as Perfect Hope Deo moved to three-for-six.

Joe Bongiorno led the driver colony with four scores on the night while Svanstedt led the trainers with a pair of strolls down victory lane. All-source handle on the 15-race card totalled $2,388,719. 

The upcoming week marks the next-to-last week of harness racing at The Meadowlands before the trotters and pacers take a four-week vacation. Live racing resumes this Friday and Saturday evening. Post time is 6:20 p.m.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of David Seaman S winning on Aug. 29)