After breaking stride in the first round of the series, Misterizi looks to rebound in the $123,000 Su Mac Lad

Friday night at the Meadowlands.

The 2008 Nat Ray champion is rated at 8-1 from Post 8 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Tony Montini. Misterizi made his seasonal debut in the first leg of the Su Mac Lad on March 27 and broke stride before the start, leaving him out of contention. He enters the final, slated as Race 10, off a solid 1:54.1 qualifying mile.

“Misterizi qualified well and apparently needed another good workout there,” said Montini, who recently returned from a family vacation in the Barbados. “He’s obviously a lot better of a horse than he showed [on March 27]. I don’t know if Post 10 did him any justice in the Su Mac Lad. He tends to look around a little bit and he’s better off with a horse on either side of him. Physically, he’s fine and that break was just a blip on the radar. Tim Tetrick said he was 'A1' after the break. When he warmed up for the Nat Ray last year, his mind seemed to be wandering. Fortunately, he was still eligible to enter the Su Mac Lad final.”

Misterizi, a six-year-old son of Mr Lavec, has won 12 of 45 career starts and $392,515. He set a World Record for an aged horse winning the $300,000 Nat Ray Invitational in 1:51 last August at the Meadowlands. Montini took over the training duties on the trotter last May following a private purchase from owner/breeder/trainer William Burleigh.

“He’s just a freak thing that turned out to be a pretty damn good horse for me,” he said. “I’m enjoying that ride and anxious to see what he can do again. There’s some European interest in him, but we’re just going to race him right now.”

The success of Montini’s other stable star, KG Delight, has been a pleasant surprise for the trainer that purchased the daughter of Northern Luck from trainer Doug Brown in November 2006. She makes her next start in the fifth race condition pace for fillies and mares on Friday night.

“When I entered KG Delight last week, the gentleman who took the entry commented he’d never seen three straight seconds by a nose three weeks in a row,” Montini said. “I certainly can’t hold that against her. She’s gutsy, tries hard every time and finally broke through. She’s been great since the day I bought her from Doug Brown up here. She’s just a hard-knocker who makes $100,000 to $150,000 every year. Her breeding is a lot better than people think, and she’s been on the market a little bit for people interested in breeding to her. Not to take anything away from Brian Sears, but anybody who’s driven her has gotten along with her. We just love racing her. She’s great to be around and shows up every week.”

Montini’s barn is based in Acton, Ont., where he owns a 12.5-acre farm, but he has established a small, competitive second string in New Jersey over the past few seasons. The 39-year-old trainer’s most successful horses to date are Stiletto (1:53.1, $1,058,736), the 2006 O’Brien Award winner as Canada’s top older male trotter, and Primetime Bobcat (1:47.2, $740,637).

“Earlier this season, I got a couple of horses sent to me [in NJ] from Canada,” he said. “They were paid into some late closers, and I’m not sure if they fit and/or weren’t ready for them. That hurt our numbers, plus we claimed a couple of stale horses. I’m a tough guy to say no to anybody. I’ll try any horse, and we’ll continue to be active at the claiming box. Claimers are my bread and butter. We’ve got a couple up here that we may be sending down as well, and it’ll be easier to get a horse in now. I think the cream of the crop is at the Meadowlands and that’s where I like to play.”

$123,000 Su Mac Lad
PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, Knight Of Intrigue, George Brennan, Bruce Saunders, 9-2
2, Enough Talk, Ron Pierce, Peter Kleinhans, 5-2
3, Lanson, Mike Lachance, Don Swick, 15-1
4, Prayer I Am, John Campbell, Andrew Byler, 15-1
5, Chick N Tell, Andy Miller, Linda Toscano, 10-1
6, Wind Surfer, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke, 15-1
7, Likeabatoutahell, Brian Sears, Trond Smedshammer, 3-1
8, Misterizi, Tim Tetrick, Anthony Montini, 8-1
9, Swan Image, David Miller, Ross Croghan, 5-1

(With files from the Meadowlands)