Alongside the eliminations for the $700,000 Meadowlands Pace, The Meadowlands hosted the $250,000 Graduate Series finals on its Saturday (July 10) card.
Ready For Moni rallied in the stretch to win Saturday’s $250,000 Graduate Series final for 4-year-old trotters in 1:50.3 over a "sloppy" track. Hypnotic AM, the lone mare in the 10-horse field, finished second and Its Academic was third.
Amigo Volo, starting from post 10, battled with Play Trix On Me and Its Academic to gain the lead in an opening quarter of :26.4. Its Academic moved to the front on the backstretch and led to the half in :55.1 before facing first-over pressure from Hypnotic AM on the last turn.
Ready For Moni, who was sixth during the first half of the race, followed Hypnotic AM around the turn and into the stretch before moving to the outside to charge to victory for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Nancy Takter. The margin of victory was 1 1/2 lengths.
“Timmy gave him a great trip,” Takter said. “He found some cover, which (Ready For Moni) hasn’t had the last couple weeks. Hypnotic AM towed him right into the finish and he finished really strong. That’s a great mile on this track. I’m pretty proud of him.
“My colt was really great today. He had the ball in his court and he took advantage of it.”
Ready For Moni has won two of four races this season and 11 of 23 lifetime. The win in the Graduate pushed his career earnings over $1 million.
By Ready Cash out of Nothing But Moni, Ready For Moni is owned by Lindy Farms of Connecticut, John Fielding, Herb Liverman, and Bud Hatfield. The stallion was bred by Moni Maker Stable.
“He’s raced super every start this year,” Takter said. “He’s been closing really well. It’s tough sometimes for 4-year-olds to make the adjustments for their 4-year-old year, especially when they’ve had long 3-year-old seasons. He seems to be handling it pretty well and I look forward to racing him the rest of the year.
“He has the Hambletonian Maturity next weekend, so we’re really looking forward to that. And then he’s in all the big stakes following the Hambletonian Maturity.”
Sent at odds of 6-1, Ready For Moni paid $15.40 to win.
Cattlewash won Saturday’s $250,000 Graduate Series final for 4-year-old pacers in 1:47.1, equaling this season’s fastest mile. Poseidon Seelster finished second and Tattoo Artist, the leader for much of the mile, was third.
Tattoo Artist, starting from post 7, went straight to the front, with Poseidon Seelster settling in second from post 6 and Cattlewash dropping in third from post 8. Tattoo Artist led to the quarter in :25.3, half in :53.3, and three-quarters in 1:20.1.
Captain Barbossa made a first-over move on the backstretch but got no closer than third. Favourite Ruthless Hanover went off stride prior to the half-mile point.
Poseidon Seelster and Cattlewash both came after Tattoo Artist in the stretch, and Cattlewash won the battle by a head thanks to a :26.2 last quarter.
“I was going to take a shot, and hopefully it worked out, whether I had cover or not,” winning driver David Miller said about the start of the race. “There was a great big three hole, so I took it, and it worked out.
“Last year, I thought he raced best on the lead, but this year so far they’ve been going so much that I’ve had to sit him in a hole. I thought he raced tremendous tonight.”
Miller guided Cattlewash, a son of Somebeachsomewhere out of Road Bet, to the win for trainer Ron Burke and breeder-owner Bill Donovan. It was Cattlewash’s first win this season in four starts. The stallion has won 11 of 34 in his career, with earnings of $973,527.
“He’s just an all-around great horse,” Miller said. “He can race any way you want him to. He’s just a good solid horse.”
Cattlewash, sent at 7-1, paid $16.20 to win.
(USTA)
The Graduate Series finals were part of an action-packed night at the Meadowlands that also included the Meadowlands Pace eliminations and Reynolds Memorial.