East Rutherford, N.J. -- After patiently tracking an
exacting pace, odds-on favorite Tessa Seelster ($3.00) was able to chase down
pocket rival Inittowinafortune to capture Friday's (November 18) featured
$17,500 top-level distaff pace at The Meadowlands.
Tessa Seelster was anxious to move forward when the gates
folded in, but Yannick Gingras was able to wrangle the 4-year-old daughter of
Shadow Play into a tracking spot behind pacesetter Nat a Virgin (David Miller)
and the pocket-sitting Inittowinafortune (Corey Callahan) through early splits
of :26.3 and :53.4. With five-sixteenths to go, Tessa Seelster angled
second-over behind Inittowinafortune, who powered clear of a taxed Nat a Virgin
approaching head-stretch. While Inittowinafortune edged away by nearly four
lengths in upper stretch, she too began to tire in the final sixteenth, just
nosed out in the last yards of a 1:50 mile by Tessa Seelster. Icommandmyspirit
(Jim Marohn, Jr.) rallied belatedly to save third, 2-3/4 lengths in arrears of
the top pair.
Ron Burke trains Tessa Seelster for the Burke Racing Stable,
the Weaver Bruscemi partnership, and Jonathan Newman.
Always B Miki retired in trackside ceremony
World champion Always B Miki made one final visit to the Big
M winner's enclosure for a special retirement ceremony after he capped his
career with a resounding win in the $400,000 TVG Free-For-All Pace last
weekend. The fastest Standardbred to ever set foot on a racetrack concluded his
career with 30 wins in 53 career starts, over $2.7 million in earnings, and a
career mark of 1:46 taken at the Red Mile in October. Always B Miki will
transition from the Jimmy Takter stable to assume stud duty at Diamond Creek
Farm in Pennsylvania.
Live racing returns to The Meadowlands with an 11-race card slated
for Saturday (November 19) evening, and a last-race Jackpot Super Hi-5
carryover of $38,181.74. Post time is 7:15 p.m. Eastern.
