In the wake of PA Perfect's 20-1 upset in the $69,444 Home Grown for two-year-old pacing fillies, Everlast Sting Deo refused to be outdone and threw down a vicious :26 sprint home to break his maiden in the $66,667 Home Grown for two-year-old male pacers and give sire Perfect Sting a sweep of the Friday, Aug. 8 co-featured events at The Meadowlands.
Coming into the Home Grown off three straight runner-up efforts that led up to a fifth-place finish to Sonofanutcracker from off the pace in the New Jersey Sire Stakes final, Everlast Sting Deo was sent off the 9-5 third choice against six rivals. And with little competition for the early lead off the gate, driver Braxten Boyd elected to send the Perfect Sting-Little Miss K colt to the fore from post seven, pushing clear of Bookie J (Jason Bartlett) and 7-5 favourite Callmebigpapi (Scott Zeron) to control a :27.4 first quarter. After rating middle splits of :56.4 and 1:26, Everlast Sting Deo faced a stretch challenge from Bookie J, who edged out of the pocket turning for home as 111-1 outsider Alotmoreaction (Mark Herschberger) began to fade after sustaining a mild first-over grind through the far turn.
"In the last turn, he was getting a little sleepy on me, but I was kind of letting him, trying to save up everything we could for the stretch," explained Boyd. "When we straightened up and he saw Jason, he offered no reason to let him by — and :26 flat, that's pretty impressive."
Everlast Sting Deo indeed came to call with a swift knockout punch in the lane, repelling Bookie J by a neck to win in 1:52. Callmebigpapi was a one-paced third, beaten 2-1/4 lengths.
Travis Alexander trains Everlast Sting Deo for Morrison Racing Stables of Indiana, Pennsylvania.
The winner paid $5.80.
One race before, Corey Callahan craftily rallied PA Perfect to a 1:53.3 score in the Home Grown filly section, overcoming traffic on the far turn and hooking four-wide in the homestretch to eclipse first-time starter Car Keys in the final yards.
With 31-1 longshot Wave Dancer (Zeron) calling the early shots and 1-5 favourite Napalm (Andy Miller) advancing from fourth to head the outer flow from nearing a rationed :57 half, Callahan elected to save ground with PA Perfect — who got away seventh in the nine-horse field — on approach to the far turn. Despite racing in tight quarters through much of the turn while Napalm duelled with Wave Dancer, PA Perfect found a seam to slip fourth-over at the 1:25.2 three-quarters before unleashing her winning move off the turn for home.
"She had been leaning in a little bit [in her previous starts], so they added a little bit more gear to her on the inside," said Callahan. "But when I got her straightened out, she chased down some pretty good fillies."
As soon as Callahan popped the earplugs, PA Perfect switched gears, charging hard down the grandstand side to nab Car Keys (Jason Bartlett) by a half length. Ladysassin (Brett Beckwith), who was buried in traffic on the far turn, rallied mightily up the pegs to save third, another three-quarters of a length behind. Napalm faded to finish eighth.
"She's a little on the small side, so I don't know how much work she can do out there by herself, but if she can get some cozy trips and move late, I think she'll beat some pretty good horses," said Callahan of PA Perfect, whom Christopher Choate trains for owners Son Of A Beach Racing of Sparta, New Jersey, Albert Zullo of Keyport, New Jersey and Craig Smith of Warwick, New York.
Now a two-time winner from six starts, PA Perfect paid $42.80 to win.
A pair of $13,889 first-round New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund events for three-year-old trotters headlined the undercard.
Onajetplane ($3.60) turned in a stout two-move effort to defeat Go Ahead Makemyday (Brett Beckwith) by 2-3/4 lengths for a 1:52.4 win — his fourth of the season — in the male division. Niko Kärnä drove the Walner-Noble Lover colt for trainer Noel Daley, who shares ownership with Sjoblom Racing, LA Express Stable and Zei Zei Racing.
R Charm ($2.20) was much the best in the filly split, taken in hand by Scott Zeron at the end of a 1:53 victory over Jersey Slide (Braxten Boyd) — also by 2-3/4 lengths. The Propulsion-Jewels In Hock filly, who finished fifth in last week's Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, notched her second sophomore victory for trainer Linda Toscano and lessee M&L of Delaware/Armitage Farm.
Trainer/driver Mark Silva captured two of the evening's three Meadowlands Amateur Drivers Club races, teaming favourites Bloodhound (1:52.1, $6.40) and Storm The Court (1:52.2, $3.60) to victory.
Zeron led all drivers with three wins on the 14-race card.
All-source handle totalled $1,757,341 USD.
Racing at the Big M resumes on Saturday, Aug. 9 with first post for the 12-race card at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)