The opening leg of the White Ruffles Series kicked off at the Meadowlands on Thursday evening, with a quartet of $12,500 divisions on tap for four-year-old
pacing mares.
Brian Sears guided Jawjackin to a career-best clocking of 1:53.3 in the opening division for trainer Darren Cassar and owner David Lewis of Bayside, New York. The daughter of Cole Muffler kicked home in :28.1 en route to defeating race favourite Bryans Ideal and Catawba.
The roan mare, who went 5-for-25 last season, is now a seven-time winner in her career. She has stashed away $32,752 to date.
Despite suffering early interference, TCs Delight turned in a 1:56 score in the next split for the tandem of owner/trainer John Stark, Jr. and catch-driver Pete Wrenn. The Bettors Delight miss took over command in the late stages of the mile and fended off runner-up Cherish Melody by a neck. Third prize went to Auroring Doll.
Sent off as the 6-5 favourite, TCs Delight won for the third time in her career in just four trips behind the starting gate. She was unraced as a rookie before putting together a 2-1-0 record in three starts as a sophomore. The lightly raced mare bumped her bankroll to $12,200 with the win.
John Campbell worked out a perfect trip for Laughandbehappy in the third division, and the Tony Alagna trainee didn’t let the second-over ride go to waste. The daughter of Badlands Hanover uncorked a :27.2 final frame to help her stop the teletimer in a new lifetime mark of 1:54.1. It was a little more than length back to runner-up Future Fire, with Im All Country rounding out the top three.
It was the mare’s first victory since being purchased by the Florida partnership of Let It Ride Stables Inc. and Robert Cooper Stables LLC. The pacer, who went 12-for-14 last season, has more than $27,000 in lifetime earnings.
Pete Wrenn notched his second win in the series thanks to an impressive off-the-pace score with Amarillo Sky. The daughter of Modern Art, who hails from Wrenn’s barn, needed every inch of the racetrack to haul down pacesetter I Cant Stoplovin U in 1:54. Pretty Lurleen was third.
Melanie Wrenn of Swartz Creek, MI holds the papers on the lightly raced mare, who put together a 5-for-6 record last season. She has now banked $19,950.
Round two of the White Ruffles Series is scheduled for next Thursday at the Meadowlands, with the $53,000 (est.) final slated for Thursday, January 21.
To view Thursday’s results, click here.