Its Complicated made things pretty simple Tuesday at The Meadows when he captured a division of a $311,725 Pennsylvania Sires Stake in 1:56, fastest this year by a two-year-old getting trotter on a five-eighths-mile track.
The event, known as the Florida Pro, was contested over three divisions, with Dontyouforgetit and Bluto — both driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Jimmy Takter — taking the other splits.
After two breakers shortened the field of contenders, Dave Palone moved Its Complicated to the front at the quarter pole. He prevailed by two lengths over Broadway Blaze, with Ergo Hanover third.
“The front seemed to be the place to be once everybody got settled,” Palone said. “He raced like an aged horse — he was perfect. I had to use him twice before the half. I was more than happy with 1:56.”
Peter Foley trains the homebred son of SJs Caviar-Before the Rain, who has finished in-the-money in all five career starts, for Hatfield Stables.
Not to be outdone, Dontyouforgetit equaled the fastest mile this year by a freshman colt trotter on a five-eighths-mile track when he scored on the front-end in 1:56. Arctic Tale closed well but missed by a head while Sailer Eddie completed the ticket.
“Going into the last turn, I thought I had plenty and that he’d just run off,” Gingras said of the son of Cantab Hall out of the world champion Solveig. “But he’s a little green. It was the first time he’d ever been in front in a race, and he got a little lonely. I had to ask him the whole way. But he showed his guts down the stretch.”
Solveig’s Breeders bred and own Dontyouforgetit, who is undefeated after three lifetime outings.
Aided by a :30.4 second-quarter breather, Bluto also stretched his career unbeaten streak to three with a wire-to-wire triumph in 1:57.3. The pocket-sitting Possessed Fashion was second, a length back, with High Bridge third.
“I don’t think that second quarter really mattered,” Gingras said. “He’s very, very fast. I never even popped the earplugs. He’s a little bit lazy on the front. He’s funny with his mouth, so I didn’t want to do anything stupid. Once I hit the front, I just let him do his thing. It was all him.”
Christina Takter, John Fielding, Louie Camara and Jim Fielding own Bluto, a son of Donato-Hanover who, as his stablemate, is out of a world champion — Blur.
In the $22,500 Preferred Handicap Trot, Sir Caviar avenged a June defeat by Winning Mister when he exploded from the pocket for Brian Zendt, blew by his rival and scored in 1:53.2, a tick off his own track record for older geldings. The first-over Bettis raced well for second, 3-3/4 lengths in arrears, with Rembrandt Spur third and Winning Mister a fading fourth.
Leslie Zendt trains Sir Caviar, a six-year-old son of SJs Caviar-Sierra Flower K who now boasts $449,851 in career earnings, and owns with Bill Zendt.
(The Meadows)