The Meadowlands hosted six $35,211 divisions of the fifth and final leg of the Kindergarten Series for two-year-olds on Friday, Oct. 23 and driver Brett Beckwith won half of the stakes events as part of a five-win night.
In the second of two dashes for filly pacers, Beckwith and Perfect Body, the New Jersey Sire Stakes Platinum and New Jersey Classic champion, rallied past 1-5 favourite JK Simcha (Joe Bongiorno) before holding off a late-charging Perfect Hope Deo (Jonathan Ahle) to record a 1:51.2 win, her fourth victory in 10 tries this year.
Perfect Body, a daughter of Perfect Sting-Sweet Body, ended up in the three-hole after leading at the quarter in :27.2 as JK Simcha took over and led at the half in :55.3 with Perfect Hope Deo in the pocket. Popping out of the three-hole on the far turn, Perfect Body was up to challenge JK Simcha at three-quarters, which went in 1:24, and cruised by that foe with an eighth-of-a-mile to go, before having to hold on by a slim, nerve-racking nose. Gift Of Faith (Brad Chisholm) was third.
“I thought John’s horse [Perfect Hope Deo] got me last step, but after the fact, [my horse] won,” said Beckwith. “She seemed to get better as the year went on. Unfortunately for her, the year is coming to an end just as she’s figuring it out. Hopefully, she comes back and has a big three-year-old year.”
Chris Choate trains the filly for owners 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.
Perfect Body returned $6.80 to win as the 2-1 second choice.
Beckwith also swept the two trotting colt divisions for trainer Marcus Melander, who was busy in Ohio winning a Breeders Crown at Scioto Downs.
Obiter Dictum (Tactical Landing-Insolentreusite Fr) scored in 1:54 and now has three wins from five starts for owner Courant Inc. of Delray Beach, Florida. He paid $4 to win as the even-money public choice.
Owned by Melander and Sweden's Daniel Reden, Gustav Vasa (Face Time Bourbon-Ms Emily Mariette) took a new lifetime mark of 1:53.4 with his second win in 10 starts. He returned $26.20 as the 12-1 fifth choice.
Seine flexed his Kentucky Sire Stakes muscles in an impressive lifetime-best 1:50.4 score in the lone division for colt and gelding pacers for Joe Bongiorno, who drove four winners in total on Friday's card.
The son of Sweet Lou-Lock Bridge cleared to the lead at the three-eighths, but found himself in a tough spot when the field of 11 reached three-quarters as Wishawave (Tyler Buter) was on the lead (in 1:23) with the first-over Adios Hanover (Johnathna Ahle) alongside to challenge as Aintmyfirstro Deo (Brett Beckwith) swung three-wide for the drive.
But despite Aintmyfirstro Deo grabbing the lead with an eighth-of-a-mile to go – after Seine turned for home with the top – Seine rallied determinedly along the inside and came back to end up 1-1/2 lengths to the good at the finish. Debonaire (Brad Chisholm) was second with Aintmyfirstro Deo third.
“He’s a really nice horse,” said Bongiorno, who also trains the gelding for owners Philip Steinberg of Weston, Florida, Brandon Monastersky of Woodcliff Lake, New Jersey and Jeffrey Bell of Boca Raton, Florida. “Unfortunately, we drew the eight-hole in the Breeders Crown [elimination last week] and we just got nosed out to get a spot [in the final finishing fifth]. This horse has a bright future. I think he’s just starting to develop and he’s going to make a nice three-year-old horse next year.”
As the 1-5 favourite, Seine returned $2.60 after winning for the second time in nine tries.
The other pacing filly division winner was Miss Dolce (Perfect Sting-Beautiful Candy), driven by Vinny Ginsburg in a lifetime-best 1:53 mile for trainer Joe Holloway, who co-owns the homebred with Val D'Or Farms of Bluffton, South Carolina. Her career record now stands at two-for-11 having won her last two starts, both at The Meadowlands. She returned $2.20 to win as the 1-9 favourite.
The lone trotting filly division went to the Ake Svanstedt-trained Orinoco (Captain Corey-Bonnie Lou), who rebounded from the Breeders Crown elimination miscue to win in 1:54.2 with Tyler Buter aboard. A Grand Circuit stakes winner two back, she notched her fourth career victory in nine tries for Ake Svanstedt Inc. and partner Knutsson Trotting of Del Ray Beach, Florida. Orinoco paid $4 as the even-money favourite.
The $125,000 USD Kindergarten finals take place on Saturday, Oct. 31.
Shezafreaklikeme and trainer/driver Stacy Chiodo won the Pink Out dash, a ladies’ driving series race to raise breast cancer awareness. The eight-year-old Sweet Lou-Nf One Rose mare hit the wire in 1:54.3 in the TrackMaster 71 pace for fillies and mares and returned $4.40 as the 6-5 public choice.
Sean Loebs bet an $80 cold late double and hit for $384 to vault him to victory in the 10th leg of the $1,000 USD Meadowlands Monthly Handicapping Contest. Loebs finished the night with a bankroll of $704. Gary Scogna finished second, meaning he and Loebs earned entries into the Dec. 12 invitation-only $10,000 USD contest final. Loebs, who will serve as co-host of the Big M simulcast show on Friday, Oct. 30, won the final last year, walking away with the top prize of $5,000 USD.
All-source handle on the 14-race program totalled $1,927,202 USD.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of Perfect Body winning on Oct. 23)