On the eve before they will send out Explosive Matter in the $1.5 million Hambletonian, trainer Noel Daley and Adam Victor & Son Stable teamed for a pair of wins in the $50,000 Townsend Ackerman Friday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack
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Cesar A Blue Chip rebounded from a miscue in his Hambletonian elimination to win the first of the two Ackerman divisions in a career best 1:53.2. Driven by Tim Tetrick, Cesar A Blue Chip [$4.20, $3.20, $2.10] angled off cover in the stretch and held off Neighsay Hanover [$4.60, $2.80] by a length to win the evening's sixth race. NF Quotable [$3.00] held on for third
Cesar A Blue Chip [Andover Hall-Glad You Asked] improved his record to three wins in six starts this season for Adam Victor Jr. and Sr. of New York, New York and co-owners Lindy Racing Stable of Enfield, Connecticut and Blue Chip Bloodstock of Wallkill, New York.
Big Bikkies [$4.00, $2.60, $3.00] crushed the competition in the second split drawing off to a career best 1:52.1 clocking with Ron Pierce in the sulky. It was 8 1/2 lengths back to Select Yankee [$4.20, $3.80] in second. Big Bikkies' entrymate, Copy Catch, was third. Big Bikkies posted his second win in six starts for Daley and the Victors, who bred the son of Windsongs Legacy-Sheza Hot Cookie.
Windsong Soprano wore down the leader Gabbys Dream entering the lane and held off the pocket sitter Celebrity Athena by a neck to win the $30,000 Duenna for fillies earlier in the evening. Gabbys Dream held third. Lothlorien's Windsong Soprano, driven by David Miller and trained by Bob McIntosh, lowered her mark to 1:52.4 in her fifth win in seven starts this season.
Youngsters Step Out In Niatross
Relaxed Fit made it two straight wins in the first of three divisions of the $160,380 Niatross for freshman pacing colts and geldings.
Relaxed Fit got away fourth out of the gate and wasted no time following Sharks Legacy to the front right before the half. With driver Yannick Gingras in tow, Relaxed Fit [$3.40, $2.60, $2.60] momentarily took a backseat to A J Corbelli, waiting for the top of the stretch to pop the pocket and sail home in 1:52.3. Sharks Legacy [$3.60, $2.40] rallied late for second, finishing 3/4 lengths behind. Rockin Ray [$3.40] was third.
"He's a very nice colt, big and strong," Gingras said after the race. "He struggled a little in the stretch [in his last start] at Chester. [Tonight] we were just trying to get in position. Brian [Sears and Sharks Legacy] knew I was coming; it was a matter of getting there. There are big races down the road, so you don't want to over race them. The first time I raced him, Ronnie [Burke] told me that sometimes he lags around the last turn, but once the lane straightens out, he'll get into another gear. He actually did that today."
Relaxed Fit, a son of The Panderosa-Hip Huggers, has won three of five career starts for trainer Ronnie Burke and his father Mickey's Burke Racing Stable.
Foreign Officer [$6.80, $3.40, $3.40] and driver Tim Tetrick won the second Niatross division in 1:53.2. Mr. Salvatore Fra [$3.40, $3.20] rallied off cover to finish second, followed by Fulfilled [$3.60] in third. The son of Allamerican-Coco, trained by Erv Miller, has now won two of four lifetime starts. Brittany Farms bred and co-owns Foreign Officer with John Fielding, Melvin Hartman and John Fodera.
"It worked out good for me," Tetrick said of his trip. "I just wanted to get into position. There were two or three horses that I wanted to follow and none of them really got up there, so I just took things into my own hands and took him to the half as slow as I could."
Lord Terror [$7.40, $3.20, $2.20] coasted wire-to-wire winning the third division of the Niatross in 1:51.3. Pang Shui [$2.60, $2.20] was locked in behind him until deep stretch and sprinted up for second. Fashion Heart [$3.00] finished third. It was the second win in three lifetime starts for the Noel Daly trainee. The son of Western Ideal-Cheryl Hanover is owned by Bulletproof Enterprises.
To view Friday's harness racing results, click here.
(NJSEA)