Krispy Apple dug in under heavy pressure to capture the prep race for the $150,000 Thomas D'Altrui Miss New Jersey on Friday night at the Meadowlands
Racetrack.
Driven by Tim Tetrick, who had five wins on the card, Krispy Apple cleared the lead just before the half and repelled the persistent challenge of Pretty Katherine to post a half-length victory in 1:52.2. Rocklamation scooted up the pylons to finish second, while Pretty Katherine gamely held on for third. Krispy Apple, trained by Mark Kesmodel, paid $3.20 to win the $20,000 event.
"I had a very, very tough choice to make," said Tetrick, who had his choice of four fillies in the race. "Mark's filly is really nice, and it was really hard to decide, but it was the last quarter last week [for Krispy Apple] at Chester in :26.4. I never even asked her, never pulled the plugs and that was my decision making. I just thought she was better since they switched to the open bridle.
"I think she's very versatile," Tetrick continued. "She can do anything you want right now and she's just on her game right now. I think she'll get better and better and she really likes her work. When my mare saw [Pretty Katherine] coming she dug right in, and I knew I had an inside advantage on [Pretty Katherine]. My mare did the right thing and sprinted off. I didn't want to sprint off too fast because I knew Andy [Miller and Rocklamation] was right behind me and his mare is a really nice mare. We got the job done this week, maybe we can do it again."
Kesmodel and co-owners Jeffrey Bamond and Joseph Davino purchased Krispy Apple and another filly, Speed N Grace, at Bulletproof Enterprises' dispersal sale last October.
The eight fillies in Friday night's Miss New Jersey prep advance to the final along with two others, Honky Tonk Woman and Weekend Update. The Miss New Jersey Final shares the spotlight on May 28 with the $400,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic for colts and geldings. Both the Miss New Jersey and the New Jersey Classic are restricted to three-year-old New Jersey-sired pacers and are sponsored by the Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.
In other action, double millionaire Corleone Kosmos went wire-to-wire, holding off pocket-sitter Winning Mister to win the $32,000 Invitational Trot by a neck in 1:52.4. Four Starz Speed finish nearly eight lengths back in third. John Campbell drove the nine-year-old SJs Photo gelding to victory for trainer Ross Croghan and owners Arthur Rudolph, the Rudolph Stables and Bernard Owen.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)