By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – They might have
taken different paths to get there, but Altar and Southwind Tyrion both found their
way to the winner’s circle in a pair of $160,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes finals
at The Meadowlands Friday night.
Altar, a daughter of Muscle Hill-Swan
Hot Mama, led at every call in taking the 2-year-old filly trot for driver Dave
Miller and trainer Per Engblom. After heading to the gate as the 4-5 public
choice, Miller urged Altar to the top and never surrendered the lead in a
thoroughly dominant performance, hitting the wire 2¾ lengths in front of
Material Girl in a lifetime-best equaling 1:54.4. Presto finished third.
“I actually wanted to get out of
there and get on Yannick’s [Gingras, driving Presto] back,” said Miller. “I
thought that would be better. She finished real strong.”
After hitting the half in a rated
:58, Altar accelerated and opened up 2½ on the field at three-quarters and had
no anxious moments from there. “Not particularly,” said Miller when asked
if he intentionally sped clear of the field. “She was so relaxed, I did chirp
to her on the far turn, and she did everything on her own from there.”
Altar returned $3.60 to her backers,
and now has two wins in three lifetime starts, good for earnings of $92,500 for
owners Diamond Creek Racing.
In the 2-year-old colt and gelding trot,
the Ake Svanstedt trained and driven Southwind Tyrion stayed perfect in two
lifetime outings after scoring in a lifetime-best 1:54 coming from off the
pace.
The son of Muscle Hill-Taylor Jean
was pushed wide into the first turn and took back to mid-pack before emerging
from the five-hole approaching the half, flushing cover from Mon Amour, who was
looking for a three-race Sire Stakes sweep.
Miller and Heartbreak Hill were
sailing along on the lead at three-quarters but brought little from there.
After tipping off his cover, Southwind Tyrion exploded home in :27 to record a
3-length win over Locatelli, who did well from post 10 as the 2-1 favorite. Spy
Booth grabbed the show dough.
Southwind Tyrion, who returned $16.40
as the fifth choice in the wagering, now has earnings of $92,500 for owners S R
F Stable and Ake Svanstedt Inc.
STAYING PERFECT: A pair of $96,000 NJSS Finals for
2-year-old pacers were contested before the betting card, with both winners
completing three-race sweeps after taking both of their respective preliminary
legs.
First up was Anna Jeans (Great
Vintage-Early Go Hanover), who won the filly event in 2:05.2 for driver Jason
Thompson and trainer John Urbanski. Fika Time (a Sunfire Blue Chip-Raiders
Favorite gelding) stopped the clock in a lifetime-best 1:55.4 in the division
for colts and geldings for Tim Tetrick and Chase Vandervort.
There were also a pair of New Jersey
Breeders Maturity events for 4-year-old pacers, the first of which – for horses
and geldings – went to Hurrikane Emperor in 1:50. The son of Hurrikane
Kingcole-Hurrikane Schmumma, the fastest horse in the sport this year by virtue
of his 1:47 clocking in the Graduate on July 11, was piloted by Mark MacDonald
for John McDermott.
A Beach Cowgirl
(Somebeachsomewhere-Limestone Cowgirl) established her lifetime best of 1:50 in
holding off JK American Beauty by a half-length for Dexter Dunn and Annie
Stoebe in the division for mares.
A LITTLE MORE: 2016 Hambletonian champion Marion
Marauder won the overnight feature – a high-end conditioned trot – in a
lifetime-best 1:50.2. … Miller led all drivers with four wins on the card. …
Betting surpassed the $2.5-million mark for the 29th time in 35 Big
M programs this year, as a total of $2,759,620 was pushed through the windows,
including $100,394 of action in the 50-cent Late Pick-4. … Racing resumes
Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
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