Life Well Lived went into the Friday (March 19) feature at Freehold Raceway looking for revenge. Last week, he set the tempo in the Preferred Handicap trot, only to fade in the stretch. This time, he sought to seal the deal on the front end.
He did just that, holding off his rivals to win the Preferred Handicap by half a length. Leaving from post position five, Jim Marohn Jr. marched him up to the early lead, and cleared to the front just after the opening quarter. After a strong first quarter of 28 seconds, Marohn slowed things down in the second quarter, going the half mile in :57.4 while starting to inch clear of his rivals.
As they rounded the final turn, Life Well Lived remained on the lead. Grey, a Florida invader, and Casino Cutie It, last week's Preferred winner, both mounted serious bids as they turned for home. Life Well Lived had enough left in the tank, and he held on for the victory. He trotted the mile in 1:58.1, for his first victory of the year.
Life Well Lived is owned by Fox Racing Inc and trained by Carmen Auciello. He's won 18 times from 146 starts, with earnings of more than $330,000. He was bred by Winbak Farm.
Grey held on for second, while Casino Cutie It finished third. Stinglike A B K, Drazzmatazz, Slated To Win, and Lionhead completed the order of finish.
Live harness racing continues at Freehold this Saturday (March 20), with a 13-race card starting at 12:30 p.m. There will be a pick 5 carryover worth $478.66, starting in the fifth race.
(Freehold)