It’s getting tough to come up with superlatives when describing Preppy Art.
The remarkable seven-year-old gelded son of Art Colony and Electric Smile had won no races in 59 starts when he went behind the gate on Nov. 1 at The Meadowlands. And that’s the night everything changed.
Since then, Preppy Art has won eight of nine starts, the most recent coming in a $10,000 claiming pace at the Big M Thursday night (Dec. 26), cementing his standing as the hottest horse in all of harness racing.
Racing out of the Nick Surick barn for the second time during the streak (both wins), Preppy Art made his way to the top while parked past the quarter in :27.3. Andy Miller then got the chance to rate the second fraction back to a sleepy :29.4 to ensure he’d have plenty left for the back half mile.
And he certainly did.
The 1-2 favourite, who was tracked to the stretch by his pocket-sitting stablemate Kid PK, opened up a two-length lead with three-sixteenths of a mile to go and held sway easily to win in 1:53.3 by three-quarters of a length as Lear Seelster rallied along the pylons to get second. Kid PK held third.
Preppy Art, who returned $3.00 to his backers, won for owners Melvin Fink and Debbie Surick, before predictably being claimed for an eighth consecutive start. Lifetime, he now has 19 wins from 119 starts and earnings of $130,992. Preppy Art left the track on trainer Bruce Lauer’s trailer at night’s end for the second time in three starts.
A LITTLE MORE: Andy Miller finished the evening with four wins while Andy McCarthy and Pat Berry had two apiece. The 20-cent Survivor Pick-9 played out like a jackpot once again, as one superb handicapper betting into the Ontario hub had the lone ticket to last seven legs and cashed in for $7,784. All-source handle was vigorous for a Thursday at $1,872,320, up 47 per cent over Dec. 19 and up an amazing 96 per cent over Dec. 12. Racing resumes Friday (Dec. 27) at 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands)