Lucky Jim Triumphs In Su Mac Lad

The $125,000 Su Mac Lad Final was a nail biter to the finish as Lucky Jim narrowly held off Arch Madness to win the richest of three stakes races Friday night at Meadowlands Racetrack

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Starting from the outside post, Lucky Jim worked his way to the top in a :27.1 opening quarter and lengthened his lead when In Focus (Daniel Dube) broke stride behind him. With the pocket-sitter out of the way, Enough Talk (Ron Pierce) closed the gap from third and angled out to attack Lucky Jim as they made their way into the far turn. Enough Talk faded at the top of the stretch, but Lucky Jim was faced with another challenger as Arch Madness (Brian Sears) came roaring off the pylons. The two horses slugged it out to the wire, with Lucky Jim digging in under driver Andy Miller's urging to hold off Arch Madness by a neck in 1:51.1. Enough Talk finished three lengths behind them in third.

"I was just going to leave the gate pretty hard and try to put him into the race," Miller said of his strategy. "I thought it would be a battle like it's been the last two weeks. Ronnie [Pierce and Enough Talk] popped the pocket a little past the half and we had to race around the turn pretty good. [Lucky Jim] went a very game mile. I heard Arch Madness coming and Lucky Jim just dug in. I think he's as good or better than he was at four, but Enough Talk and Arch Madness have come back good, so it's going to be an interesting year."

"He was super," driver Brian Sears said of runner-up Arch Madness. "He's coming around good. I've got to give a lot of credit to Lucky Jim, who went a great mile. We were coming at him and he raced really tough."

Lucky Jim paid $3 as he posted his third win in four starts this season for trainer Julie Miller. The 2009 Older Trotter of the Year won 17 of 18 races during his extraordinary campaign last year. David and John Prushnok and William Gregg own the five-year-old son of SJs Photo-Hawaiian Sierra, who now has 22 career victories and nearly $1.3 million in earnings to his credit.

Andy Miller made it four wins in a row as he steered Four Starz Molly to a 60-1 upset in the $65,800 Jersey Girls Final for filly and mare pacers. Miller moved Four Starz Molly three-wide on the turn and she rallied to a length and a half victory over Harper Lee (George Brennan) in 1:52. Laughandbehappy (John Campbell) held third after carving the early fractions. Four Starz Molly, trained by George Teague Jr., paid $129.60.

"I thought she had a shot tonight," Miller said. "Two weeks ago, I maybe over-raced her a little bit [in the first Jersey Girls leg]. She put in a big effort and it was still close at the wire. I thought if I could give her a good trip, she'd have a good shot. I was third over, and the horse that was second over [Dreams Bar] was kind of gapping, but I was close enough."

Four Starz Molly, a four-year-old daughter of Four Starzzzz Shark-Bolero Tam Tam, has now banked $112,126 for breeder-owner Four Starzzzz Stable of Hauppauge, New York.

In the final stakes race of the night, Bet The Town and driver Brian Sears rallied off a three-hole trip to win the $54,000 Art Unger Stake Final in 1:52. Eragon (George Brennan) finished second after tussling early with Hes Redhot (Andy Miller), while Allamerican Chief (Yannick Gingras) grabbed the show spot. Bet The Town returned a $13 win mutuel.

"He's pretty handy," Sears said. "He's got a bit of gate speed and if the trip works out, he's going to give you a good run at the end. That's exactly what he did."

Ray Schnittker trains the four-year-old son of Bettors Delight-Town Sweetheart for Bet The Town Stable of Middletown, New York. The gelding has now won seven of 21 career starts and $109,343.

In regular racing action, the Casie Coleman-trained Run On Luck lowered her mark to 1:50.4 with a 1-1/2 length decision over Four Starz Melody (George Brennan) and the favoured Sportsfancy (Brian Sears) in the $32,000 Mares Invitational Pace.

Giving Andy Miller one of his four wins, the seven-year-old Northern Luck-Yarmila mare, sent postward as the 6-1 fourth choice, advanced to the top from third during the third interval and sealed the deal with a :27.4 final frame. She paid $15.20 to win.

Run On Luck has won three of her five starts since being claimed by Coleman and Ohio’s J Robert Darrow and Ron Broadstone for $50,000 on March 5. She is now five-for-12 this year with nearly $80,000 banked.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)