Dontevenknowmymame came first up to clear the lead past the three-quarter marker and gamely dug in for a 1 1/4-length victory over My Man in 1:57. All Munky Business was third. Dontevenknowmymame, driven to victory by Eric Abbatiello, paid $9.80 to win the sixth race feature.
“Coming around the last turn I was worried about Yannick [Gingras] on my back [with My Man],” Abbatiello said, “but she kept trotting to the stretch. She put in a good effort. She’s very consistent. She hasn’t thrown in a clunker since Owen bought her.”
Eiler, who owns and trains the daughter of Master Lavec, purchased Dontevenknowmymame last October. She has since earned $63,605 toward a career bankroll of $108,861. Her win column now totals 13 in 44 starts.
“She’s a game mare,” Eiler said. “She took a lot of air tonight, but she keeps coming.”
Though a longtime horse owner, Eiler only obtained his trainer’s license a little over a year ago upon the urging of his children. He finished the 2011 season with 14 wins and $173,507 from 126 starters.
“It’s a lot of hard work,” said the 49-year-old conditioner of juggling two careers. “I give a lot of credit to Eric and to her two grooms, Anthony and Joanie.”
Fella’s Ella, a 75-1 shot, picked an opportune time for her first career win in the $38,000 White Ruffles final for 4-year-old pacing mares.
The Pacific Fella lass, steered by Steve Smith, split horses in the lane and got up in the nick of time to take the fifth race co-feature by a head over Devine Filly in 1:55.3. She paid $157.40 to break her maiden in her eighth start. John Pyott trains the mare for his brother, Robert, of Millville , NJ
"I started out in the back and got shuffled,” Smith said. “Around the last turn, nobody was behind me so I was actually able to save a little bit of ground. I was able to slip out and just wait for a little bit of room.
“Her lines coming from Monticello
