One of the top Pepsi North America Cup eligibles tuned up in speedy fashion during the Friday qualifying session at Meadowlands Racetrack. The session also saw one of the best aged pacers of the last decade return after a nearly one-year hiatus
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The George Teague, Jr.-trained Delmarvalous took to the track for the fourth race of the six-dash card.
Rated as the 18-1 sixth choice in Trot Magazine's 2010 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book, Delmarvalous and driver Brian Sears left from Post 2 and were second at the opening quarter (:26.2), which was cut by Joey The Czar. With Frank Antonacci at the helm, Joey The Czar continued to roll right along to the half, which sprung to life in a snappy :53.4.
Sears and the son of Badlands Hanover had the engine in mind during the third quarter. 'The White Knight' had Delmarvalous overland and leading by the time three quarters flashed up in 1:22 -- a quarter of :28.3, which would end up being Delmarvalous' slowest of the mile.
From the three quarters onward, Delmarvalous simply took off. Sears and the career winner of $191,268 were on top by four lengths at the head of the stretch and capped off their 28-second final quarter by tossing up a 10-length margin of victory. The win time was 1:50.2.
Delmarvalous last raced in a May 8 Open Pace at Pocono Downs, where after being on the front-end through solid middle fractions he finished over four lengths back in fourth and paced his mile in 1:52.3.
The last dash of the day, Race 6, saw millionaire Bettors Delight gelding Bettor Sweet rebound from a disappointing performance in the Graduate preliminaries by posting a wire-to-wire, 12-and-three-quarter-length win in a sharp 1:51.4. Although his finished fifth in the mile and was beaten more than 15 lengths, $3.8-million earner Boulder Creek put in his first charted mile since July 16, 2009 at Chester Racetrack.
To view the charted results from the qualifying session, click here.