Delaware Sires Stakes champ Totally Rusty brought her act to New Jersey and the Queen of the First State made quite an impression on the locals with a career-best 1:50.3 win in the $39,416 Hardie Hanover, a division of the John Simpson Memorial Grand Circuit stakes.
A recent private purchase by Let It Ride Stables and Dana Parham in partnership with her breeder and prior owner Carter Racing Stable, Totally Rusty was making her first start for new trainer Ross Croghan but had the comfort of the regular driver from her Delaware exploits “Captain” Corey Callahan.
Callahan employed the “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” strategy and sent the chestnut daughter of Rustys For Real right for the front as he had done in each of the programmed past performance lines. The pair set honest fractions of :26.3, :55 and 1:24 before sprinting home in another :26.3 to seal the deal. Bedroomconfessions followed the winner throughout and held place while unable to menace the winner. Happiness rallied from well back for the show.
In this week's $27,500 Fillies & Mares Open Handicap Pace, Radar Contact and driver John Campbell swept to the lead after a sizzling :25.4 opening quarter contest and fought off archrival Inittowinafortune for the win in 1:49.3. Her 30th career win was her first sub-1:50 mile. Trained by Noel Daley and for owners Charles Stillings and Dean Ehrgott, the seven-year-old daughter of Dontgetinmyway now has 12 top-two finishes in 14 starts this year. Katie Said closed well for second and Empress Deo finished third.
Making his sophomore debut on Friday's card, 2015 North America Cup eligible Hurrikane Ali earned his first career win in 1:52.3, sprinting his final quarter in :26.1 to close off cover with Yannick Gingras in the sulky. The New Jersey Sires Stakes Championship runner-up to last season's award-winning freshman Artspeak has been assessed at odds of 60-1 in Trot Magazine's Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book. John McDermott Jr. trains the Rocknroll Hanover colt for Kuhen Racing, Jonathan Klee Racing, Dr. Kenneth Rucker and Robert Pucila.
It’s all happening tomorrow at The Meadowlands on Kentucky Derby Day. Gates open at 9:30 a.m. in preparation for the day-long card at Churchill Downs. Live racing will start at 5:30 p.m. with the brand new “4 in 40 minutes” wager, which is a quick Pick 4 between Meadowlands and Tioga Downs races. After a break for the Derby, live racing will resume around 7:00 p.m. leading up to the hotly anticipated boxing match between Mayweather and Pacquiao, which fans may enjoy at a price of $25 for men/$20 for women.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)