Dial Or Nodial [$4.00, $2.80, $2.40] wore down Drop Red in the final strides to win the $200,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes Championship for three-year-old colt pacers
Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
After clearing the early lead, Dial Or Nodial yielded to Drop Red and George Brennan in a swift :54.1 half before being angled out by driver Brian Sears at the head of the lane. The gelding edged past the tiring leader in deep stretch and held off the late rally of Vintage Master [$11.40, $4.80] and Daniel Dube by a half-length in 1:50.1. Drop Red [$3.40] held on for third. The mark was a career best for Dial Or Nodial in just his second start of the season.
"I was afraid I wasn't going to get him to relax," Sears said. "He did get a little over aggressive for a second. Around the turn I was able to get him to calm down, or he calmed himself down a little bit. He raced well and when I pulled him [out of the pocket] he showed me what he had. My main concern at [the head of the stretch] was whether I could get out. They're two really nice colts [Drop Red and Dial Or Nodial]. I drove them both last year and I look forward to opportunities with them this year."
Dial Or Nodial, trained by Jim Campbell, was named the 2008 New Jersey Sire Stakes Horse of the Year as a two-year-old. One of the top freshman colts in the United States, Dial Or Nodial won eight of 12 starts and $414,124 last year. Bred and owned by Arlene and Jules Siegel of New Hope, Pennsylvania, Dial Or Nodial is a son of Western Ideal. He will make his next start in the June 6 eliminations for the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic.
"We'll just play it by ear," Campbell said, "but the Meadowlands Pace [$1 million on July 18] is the one that he is being aimed for and one that I would really like to win. So far everything's going right on schedule with him."
Longshot Scarlet Mczara [$40.60, $13.80, $9.00] rallied from far back to win the co-featured $200,000 championship for NJ-sired fillies.
Scarlet Mczara and driver Andy Miller sat third on the outer tier as Precious Stone with John Campbell worked her way up to challenge the leader Special Sweetheart and Eric Goodell down the backstretch. Miller angled Scarlet Mczara out at the head of the lane and she thundered down the center of the track to a career best 1:51.3 victory. Jersey Dream [$6.20, $5.00] with George Brennan shook loose from the pylons to finish a length behind in second, while Amora Hanover [$8.40] and Brian Sears rallied from eighth to grab the show spot.
"I just wanted to get away in the middle some where and I ended up being third over following Yannick [Gingras and Jkmusicofthenite] and that was kind of the plan," Miller said. "When I showed her a little racetrack on the turn for home, she just exploded. She's got an explosive burst of speed, so I think she'll step up [against the top fillies]."
Scarlet Mczara, a daughter of McArdle, boosted her earnings to $164,620, an impressive return on the modest $5,500 sum The Wiz Kids Stable of Dover, Delaware paid for her at the 2007 New Jersey Classic yearling sale. Trained by Bart Dalious, Scarlet Mczara has now won six of 19 career starts. She will face her next major stakes test in the June 5 eliminations for the $200,000 Thomas D'Altrui Miss New Jersey at the Meadowlands.
The $200,000 purses for the pair of championships made them the richest in the history of the New Jersey Sire Stakes program.
In regular racing action, the Aquarius and Four Leaf Clover champion, Southwestern Dream [$5.80, $3.60, $2.10], was a repeat winner in the weekly $27,500 Preferred Pace for four-year-olds.
With John Campbell at the lines, the gelded son of Cambest remained parked to the first quarter in :26.4 as Dragon King (Eric Goodell) gunned for the early lead. The 9-5 favourite then tucked into the two-hole for a brief moment before moving to the lead.
Once in control, Southwestern Dream rolled through middle fractions of :54.4 and 1:23.1. Turning for home, Southwestern Dream unleashed a :26.4 final kicker to out-sprint the first-over Mucho Sleazy [$4.60, $2.60] and David Miller for the win in 1:50 flat. Camshaft Hanover [$2.10] with George Brennan and Robertthebruce [$2.10] with Andy Miller finished third in a dead-heat.
Bruce Saunders trains the winner of 16 races and $386,339 for Frank Bellino of Bronxville, New York. Southwestern Dream has won seven out of 13 races earning over $195,000 so far this year.
To view Saturday’s results, click here.
(With files from NJSEA)