Perfect Sting, the top-ranked horse in the Trot Magazine Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, took another strong step toward his sophomore season with a 1:52.3 qualifying win on Friday (April 30) at The Meadowlands.
After a decisive, pillar-to-post 1:52.2 effort off the shelf last Saturday, David Miller opted to race Perfect Sting from the pocket in his second qualifier, yielding to Pirate Hanover (Andy McCarthy) through a tepid :57.3 half. The son of champions Always B Miki and Shebestingin made his move at the end of a :27 third split, headed Pirate Hanover at the eighth pole, and won going away by 1-3/4 lengths for trainer Joe Holloway and the partnership of Brittany Farms and Val D'Or Farms.
Top speed honours on the 14-race qualifying program went to Rocknificent, who continued preparations for her upcoming four-year-old campaign with a sizzling 1:50.3 score over Nancy Takter trainees JK First Lady and Peaky Sneaky. The daughter of Captaintreacherous and Rocklamation stalked the Takter tandem comfortably through fast and even sectionals of :27.3, :55.2 and 1:23 before lifting steadily through the home straight and mowing down JK First Lady by three-quarters of a length. Scott Zeron drove for trainer Linda Toscano and the partnership of the Enviro Stables Ltd., South Mountain Stables and Little E LLC.
On the trotting side, 2019 Hambletonian Oaks winner When Dovescry defeated a stacked field — including Hambletonian winners Ramona Hill (fourth) and Forbidden Trade (seventh) and Breeders Crown winner Amigo Volo (eighth) — by way of a pocket ride behind fellow distaffer Refined which led to a 1:56.4 victory. The daughter of Muscle Hill, driven by David Miller for trainer Brett Pelling and owner John Lengacher, drafted comfortably through slow early fractions before winning a duel that lasted the length of the stretch by a scant neck.
Miller also drove Crown winner Lady Chaos, a three-year-old daughter of Cantab Hall, to a 1:57.1 win for Toscano, just collaring divisional rival Pub Crawl by a neck after tracking her throughout.
To view Friday's complete results, click the following link: Friday Results – The Meadowlands (Qualifiers).