Whiskey Pete and Art Professor hit the line together in a dead heat in the first of two $40,000 Aquarius series divisions Saturday night at Meadowlands Racetrack
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Whiskey Pete and driver Pat Berry fired to the front and were briefly headed by Art Professor and Ron Pierce before re-taking the lead mid-way down the backstretch in a :55.3 half. Whiskey Pete repelled a challenge by Windsong Gorgeous on the final turn and gamely matched strides with Art Professor in the sprint for home. The four-year-old sons of Art Major crossed the wire together in 1:51.1. Nat Varty trainee Whiskey Pete paid $4.20, while Art Professor, trained by Larry Remmen, returned $11.40.
Ted Gewertz's Whiskey Pete posted his second win in five starts this season and surpassed $200,000 in career earnings with the victory. Art Professor also scored his second victory in his fifth start of the season for the Ontario-based partnership of Bradley Grant and Holland Racing Stable.
Code Word ($11.40) romped to a three-length victory in the second of the two Aquarius splits. Driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Ron Burke, Code Word picked up his first win of the season in a career best 1:51. Burke Racing Stable, Frank Baldachino and Weaver Bruscemi own the son of Western Terror.
The $78,000 Aquarius Final is one of three stakes to be contested next Saturday, February 19.
To view Saturday's results, click here.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)