By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The remarkable
Preppy Art did it again.
At this time, it would be hard to
find a better inexpensive claimer than this veteran, who won his sixth
consecutive race at the $7,500 claiming level for pacers at the Meadowlands
Thursday night as the Big M hosted its first of four Thursday night cards
during December.
Racing out of the Nick Surick barn –
his fourth different stable in four starts – Preppy Art was sent to the gate as
the 1-5 public choice and driver Andy Miller rolled him immediately to the top
and stopped the clock at the quarter in :27.3. A tepid second fraction of :29
followed, and even though Luck N Roll K moved boldly three-wide on the far turn
to get into contention, he could not threaten the eventual winner, who hit the
wire 3½ lengths in front of Luck N Roll K in 1:52.1, a season’s best for the
7-year-old gelded son of Art Colony-Electric Smile.
For Preppy Art – who paid $2.40 to
win – his winning streak is even more amazing when you consider how he’d been
doing before his winning ways began. At the end of 2017, he lost his last eight
starts. During 2018, he had zero wins in 30 starts. In 2019, he was winless in
his first 21 outings. Thus, he has won a half-dozen straight after losing 59 in
a row.
His streak created quite a stir at
the claiming box, as 15 claims were entered on the horse. He leaves the Surick
barn – where he had been owned by Melvin Fink and Debbie Surick – and now will
race out of Traci Berry’s barn after being claimed for a fifth straight start,
this time by J. Craparotta and Pat Berry Racing.
Lifetime, Preppy Art has 17 wins from
116 starts, good for earnings of $117,942. His lifetime best of 1:51.2 came two
years ago at Woodbine Mohawk Park.
A LITTLE MORE: Yannick Gingras paced the driver
colony, scoring four times on the 10-race card. … Trainers Surick and Trish
Adams both had two winner’s circle visits. … Longshots won the first (29-1) and
last (32-1) races on the program. Of the eight races in between, six were taken
by the favorite. … All-source handle totaled $1,051,607. … Racing resumes
Friday at 7:15 p.m.
