After a rocky start to the season, Lucky Jim looks to rebound in the $40,000 prep race for the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial when live racing resumes at Meadowlands Racetrack on Saturday, May 7
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Post time is 7 p.m. for the card which co-features the $50,000 elimination for the Graduate stake. Eliminations for the Cutler were unnecessary as 10 trotters, including 2010 Dan Patch Award winners Enough Talk and Buck I St Pat, were entered in the Cutler. The nine prep race entrants will join Slave Dream, who opted to take the week off, in the estimated $220,000 final on May 14.
Lucky Jim will start from post nine in the Cutler prep for driver Andy Miller and his wife, trainer Julie Miller. He trounced the field by 11 lengths with a sparkling 1:53 mile in morning qualifiers Tuesday, May 3, putting to rest any doubts stirred by his 2011 debut. In that start, on April 8 at Harrah's Chester , Lucky Jim broke stride late in the mile and finished sixth behind the winner Arch Madness.
"Basically, we're throwing that start at Chester out," Julie Miller said. "It was a terrible, rainy day and he had a few issues. It was probably not the best strategic move for us to race that day, but his owners gave us the time to work through those issues and get him to where he needed to be.
"He qualified super on Tuesday and we are counting on him coming back as good this year as he was last," she continued. "We just need some racing luck on Saturday and we're ready to go for the season."
Lucky Jim won the 2009 Cutler Memorial in 1:52.1 and finished second last year to Arch Madness, who set a1:51 stakes record. The 6-year-old gelding finished first or second in 10 of 12 starts in 2010, following up his Dan Patch award-winning 2009 season, in which he won 17 of 18 races and more than $1 million. David Prushnok, John Prushnok and William Gregg own the son of S Js Photo, a $1.6 million career earner.
The Cutler prep entrants, from the rail out, are Buck I St Pat, Corleone Kosmos, Neighsay Hanover, Celebrity Hercules, Enough Talk, Looking Hanover, Dont Know Chip, Hot Shot Blue Chip and Lucky Jim.
Thirteen horses were entered in the Graduate for older pacers. Three horses (Foiled Again, Giddy Up Lucky and Western Shore ) accepted byes, leaving the 10 remaining horses to vie for seven starting spots in the estimated $200,000 final on May 14. St Elmo Hero, who will face his toughest assignment yet, and Schoolkids turned down byes, opting to race in the elimination.
The Graduate elimination field, from the rail out, includes Atochia, Bettor Sweet, We Will See, St. Elmo Hero, Won The West, Vlos, Hypnotic Blue Chip, Schoolkids, Dial Or Nodial and Lisagain.
(The Meadowlands)