FREEHOLD, NJ – May 2, 2015 – EL Love went wire-to-wire
winner and Northern Obsession tipped out three-wide in the stretch to win their
respective $35,750 divisions of the Lady Suffolk for three-year-old trotting
fillies on Saturday, May 2, 2015 at Freehold Raceway.
Riina Rekila, driver and trainer of EL Love, sent the Yankee
Glide filly to the lead off the gate and repelled challenges throughout the
mile to score a two and three-quarter length victory over 3-5 favorite Riley’s
Dream in the fifth race. It was four and a half back to Rules of the Road
in third.
EL Love [$8.20], who won both of her starts at two, is now
two-for-two at three for a bankroll of $28,453. The mile in 1:58 flat was
a career best for Finnish owner and breeder Erkki Laakkonen.
Two races later, the seventh, 2-5 Jewels In Hock and 9-5 Blk
Thai Optional broke stride in the first turn, leaving it to a trio of longshots
to battle with 22-1 Northern Obsession [$46.20] who was a half-length winner
over Southwind Cartier, the Muscle Hill filly who won the 2014 Marion Dancer
Trot.
Jewels In Hock recovered from her early break to finish
third by a length and a quarter.
Northern Obsession, driven to victory by Eric Abbatiello,
picked up her second straight win for trainer Gilberto Garcia-Herrera of
Columbus, NJ, who co-owns the daughter of Conway Hall with Barbara and Donald
Arnstine of Sacramento, CA. Overall, the filly has two wins, three
seconds and five third from 14 starts for career earnings of $50,813.
By Carol Hodes for SBOANJ
