Ontario-owned Ideal Carver prepped for the Lou Babic Memorial Stake for New Jersey-sired two-year-old pacers with a spin around Freehold Raceway's half-mile oval on Saturday night.
Eliminations weren't necessary for the Babic, which drew fields of eight in both the filly and colt divisions. Instead, two six-horse preps were offered for the $106,700 Babic Open and $68,900 Babic Filly. Bypassing the preps were colts To Beach His Own and Troon, and fillies Gypsy Cards and Panera Hanover.
Ideal Carver (Western Ideal-Yankee Scandal) converted from the pocket to win the $7,500 prep race for the two-year-old open division in 1:57 flat with Jim Pantaleano in the driver's seat. The $27,000 Harrisburg yearling is trained by Casie Coleman for Ontario owners West Wins Stable of Cambridge and Steve Calhoun of Chatham. The win was his third in six career starts and bumped his bankroll to $22,385. Pacesetter Matts Away Ten and Only The Lonely finished second and third, respectively.
Pantaleano also won the filly prep aboard Mark Harder trainee O Narutac Rockette (Rocknroll Hanover-Cam For Life). She pulled the pocket after the half and cruised home to win by two lengths in 1:57.1 over Certified Ideal and pacesetter True Reflection. The $11,000 Harrisburg yearling is now two-for-five in her career with $9,340 earned for New York's Cataway Racing Stable, Pat Caturano, and Guy Caturano.