JK Endofanera will be the 2-1 favorite for
the $776,000 Meadowlands Pace with He’s Watching a close 5-2 second choice .
The two standout colts won their $50,000
Pace eliminations on Saturday night, setting the stage for a classic showdown
on July 12 at Meadowlands Racing & Entertainment.
The top five finishers in each elimination
advanced to the meet’s top event for 3-year-old pacers.
JK Endofanera won the first elimination in
a career-best 1:48 2/5 at the end of a surprisingly tight finish for the 2-5
favorite.
Having fended off Doo Wop Hanover rounding
the final turn, JK Endofanera found stretch challengers to his left as
Lyonssomewhere tried to squeeze up the pylons while to his right, Always B Miki
came charging down the center of the track.
Showing the class that has carried him to
five wins in six starts this year including the North America Cup, JK
Endofanera dug in to hold off Always B Miki by a neck with Lyonssomewhere
getting third.
Brian Sears handled the 3 Brothers
homebred trained by Ron Burke.
“It’s a pretty good bunch of colts and
they were going to race me,” Sears said. “My horse raced game and was good to
the wire.”
Doo Wop Hanover and National Debt also
advanced to the final.
He’s Watching won the faster elimination
in 1:48 1/5, also a lifetime best.
Last year’s Dan Patch champion following
an 8 for 8 campaign, He’s Watching has come back strong this season with two
wins in five starts for Menary Racing, Brad Gray, Michael Guerriero and the
Muscara Racing Trust.
Despite starting from post 9, driver Tim
Tetrick maneuvered He’s Watching into a perfect second-over trip. They roared
through the lane to reel in 17-1 long shot Sometimes Said by 2 3-4 lengths
“He’s very fast and he’s smart,” said
Tetrick who drove for the colt for the second time.
“He likes to win. I was
just trying to put him in play, and work out that kind of a trip.”
Luck Be Withyou was third. Jet Airway and
Tellitlikeitis also made the final from that elimination.
The connections of elimination winners won
the right to select their posts in the final.
JK Endofanera won the coin flip and will
start from post 2. He’s Watching will be doing just that, along side the
favorite in post 3.
The full field for The Meadowlands Pace in
post position order:
1 National Debt 50-1
2 JK Endofanera 2-1
3 He’s Watching 5-2
4 Tellitlikeitis 12-1
5 Luck Be Withyou 6-1
6 Lyonssomewhere 8-1
7 Jet Airway 15-1
8 Sometimes Said 15-1
9 Always B Miki 4-1
10 Doo Wop Hanover 30-1
