Hey Mister rallied off a second over trip to win the $257,000 Del Miller Memorial Trot for three-year-old fillies on Friday, July 15 at the Meadowlands
Racetrack.
Despite drifting four-wide in the lane, the 1-5 favourite got up to best Crème De Cocoa by three-quarters of a length in 1:54.4. Lost Symbol held third after setting the fractions. Driven by Brian Sears, Hey Mister was clocked in 1:54.4. She paid $2.60 to win the sixth race feature.
"She works herself up a little bit, and is a little bit of a nervous filly," Sears said. "She's matured in every start though, so that helps.
"We didn't get away very aggressively but there were some horses leaving out of there so it worked out well," he continued. "I was babying her a little bit through the last turn. It was my main concern and I knew she'd give me some kick coming home. She likes to run out a little bit down the stretch but she was good and got the job done. She definitely has a turn of high speed and if you get her in the right spot she can kick home really well."
The daughter of Muscles Yankee-Pick Me Up is perfect in three starts this season for trainer Ross Croghan and owners Robert Cooper Stables and the Let It Ride Stables of Florida, Jerry Silva of New York, and Nick Barbieri of Woodbridge, Ont. Hey Mister boosted her bankroll to $205,230 with the victory, her fourth in nine career starts.
"She puts her game face on when she comes to the track," Croghan said. "She gets a little worked up but she works her way through it. She's been good so I can't complain. If she comes out of this race good, the Hambletonian Oaks will be her next stop."
Eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks will take place on July 30 with the final set for August 6.
The 2011 Back to the Track National Pick Four wager on Friday, July 15 paid $196.50 for a $1 ticket. There were 130 tickets with the winning 5-2-3-6 sequence. The pool totaled $30,069. The wager, which featured a $25,000 guaranteed pool, began with the Meadowlands' Race 8 and included one race each from Northfield (8), Yonkers (9) and Maywood (6).
For results from Friday's harness racing card, click on the following link: Friday Results - Meadowlands Racetrack.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)