Cedar Dover trotted to a new lifetime mark of 1:52.3 while capturing the $73,000 final of the Ima Lula Series for four-year-old mares on Friday night at Meadowlands Racetrack.
Moving in one spot to post eight following the scratch of O'Brien Award winner China Pearls, Cedar Dove fired off the gate and worked her way to the top spot during a :27.4 opening quarter. She cleared down the backstrech and posted middle panels of :55.2 and 1:24.1 while Firstclassprincess (Yannick Gingras) advanced first over from fourth. Cedar Dove had a length lead turning for home and used a :28.2 final frame to hold off Firstclassprincess to win by half a length. Pantholops (David Miller) finished one and three-quarter lengths behind in third.
Cedar Dove, a close runner-up in the opening leg of the series to Tui and a winner in round two, paid $3.60 to win the final. The Andover Hall mare, who has banked $924,010 in her career, is trained by Noel Daley for owners John Fielding of Toronto and Adam Victor And Son Stable of New York.
After breaking stride as the favourite in his Hambletonian elimination last weekend, Little Brown Fox rebounded with 1:52 score in the $50,000 Townsend Ackerman earlier on the card. Yannick Gingras sent the Muscles Yankee colt from third to first after his entrymate and eventual breaker One In A Million (Brian Sears) clocked a :27.3 opening quarter. Little Brown Fox proceeded to the half in :54.2 and three-quarters in 1:22 before cruising home for the one and a quarter length victory over his other entrymate Appomattox (Corey Callahan). Banker Volo (Davis Miller) closed well for third.
"If I could do it over I'd like to take that do over," commented Gingras, referring to last week's elimination effort.
Jimmy Takter trains the New Jersey Sire Stakes and Stanley Dancer Memorial champion for owners John and Jim Fielding of Toronto, Christina Takter of East Windsor, New Jersey, and Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Friday Results - Meadowlands Racetrack.