Plunge Blue Chip pressed Manchego in the final half and stayed at her throat from the far turn to the wire, getting a narrow advantage on the 1-5 favourite at the wire to trot the fastest mile by a sophomore of 1:49.4 in the $128,500 second division of the Del Miller Memorial.
Live Laugh Love led by the quarter in :27.2 while Manchego marched wide and toward the lead heading to the backstretch. Plunge Blue Chip, sitting fourth, edged first over by the half in :54.3 and made her way toward the tempo setter midway around the final turn. Engaged in battle by three-quarters in 1:22.1, Manchego maintained the advantage.
Plunge Blue Chip continued to lunge at Manchego who dug in and held a neck in front through most of the stretch. In the final strides, Plunge Blue Chip got by Manchego to win in the world-record mile. Live Laugh Love chased in third.
Owned by Ake Svanstedt and Blue Chip Bloodstock, Plunge Blue Chip, a three-year-old filly by Muscle Mass out of the Donato Hanover mare Dunk The Donatom won her third race in five starts this season and her 12th in 15 overall, earning $564,094. Trained and driven by Ake Svanstedt, she paid $6.20 to win.
“[1]:49.4 was a surprise but she’s a good horse and she had not raced on the big tracks as much and that’s [maybe] why she raced so fast.”
Unhurried through the first half, trainer-driver Trond Smedshammer cruised first over with 4-5 favourite Phaetosive rounding the final turn to win by two-and-a-half lengths in a lifetime-best mile of 1:51.3 in the $128,500 first division of the Del Miller Memorial.
What A Knockout grabbed an uncontested lead moving into the first turn, trotting well in front of Perfect Summer K in second and Phaetosive in third through a :28 opening quarter. No pressure came at the leader through a :56.1 half but Smedshammer moved first over with Phaetosive entering the final turn.
Through three-quarters in 1:24.4, Phaetosive cruised past What A Knockout to take the lead in the stretch. Perfect Summer K angled off the rail and tracked Phaetosive to move into second while Hey Blondie, first over briefly towards the back in the backstretch, split horses late to finish third. Seviyorum, positioned last for most of the mile, stormed through the center of the track to take fourth.
A three-year-old filly by Explosive Matter out of the Angus Hall mare Phaeton, Phaetosive won her second race in three starts this season and her sixth in 10 overall, earning $353,643 for owner Purple Haze Stables LLC and paid $3.60 to win.
The Del Miller Memorial was held on the Saturday stakes card at the Meadowlands, with recaps of the other highlighted events available on the 2018 Meadowlands Pace News Centre.