EAST
RUTHERFORD, NJ – August 3, 2013 – In a gutty battle to the wire, I Luv The
Nitelife prevailed by a half-length in the $125,000 Thomas D’Altrui Miss New
Jersey Stakes in a stakes record 1:49 flat on Saturday, August 3, 2013 at the
Meadowlands.
The
Miss New Jersey, carded as the first of 15 races, is restricted to New
Jersey-sired three-year-old pacing fillies and is sponsored by the Standardbred
Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey.
I
Luv The Nitelife, sent off as the 2-5 favorite, extended her winning streak to
seven, her eighth win in nine starts this year and 12th win in 19 career
starts.
The
Rocknroll Hanover filly made her move on down the backstretch, racing in tandem
with the pacesetter, Jerseylicious through the stretch, after hitting the
three-quarters in 1:21 flat. Those two were joined by Ms Caila J Fra and
Authorize in the battle to the wire.
I
Luv The Nitelife, driven by Tim Tetrick and trained by Chris Ryder, held on for
a half-length victory over Ms Caila J Fra who edged out Authorize. Both
the second and third-place finishers are daughters of Western Ideal.
The
1:49 mile eclipsed the stakes record of 1:50 established by Put On A Show, also
a Ryder trainee, in 2010. It also matched the fastest mile of the year by
a three-year-old filly pacer that was set by Ms Caila J Fra in the $150,000 New
Jersey Sire Stakes Final on June 1.
“She
most definitely earned it today,” said Tetrick. “They take it at her all
the time. I guess she hasn’t earned other people’s respect yet. She
doesn’t win by many [lengths], but she likes to put her nose out there, and
she’s really, really tough to get by.
“I
knew I had to make a move after the big half [in 53 seconds],” Tetrick
added. “I wanted to make the thing happen and not let Corey [Callahan
with Jerseylicious] get too much of a breather. He’d already been pushed
hard, and I thought he might let me go, but he didn’t so we raced from there.”
“I
was exhilarated,” said Ryder. “She’s very tough. She just keeps
winning. She doesn’t give up at all. She had a bit of a foot
problem three weeks ago, and we’ve finally gotten her over it.”
I
Luv The Nitelife has now won four major stakes -- the Lynch, Fan Hanover,
Mistletoe Shalee and Miss New Jersey and lifted her career bankroll to $1,264,077
for owners Richard and Joanne Young of Coconut Creek, FL.
Ryder
indicated that the filly would make her next start on August 7 in the $350,000
Valley Forge at Mohegan Sun at Pocono. If she remains healthy, she will
also race at four.
-Submitted
by Carol Hodes for SBOANJ
