Better Is Nice too tough in $240,000 NJSS Final

Better Is Nice (Bettor’s Wish) was nice and tough in capturing the $240,000 final of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for two-year-old state-sired harness racing pacing colts Friday (August 4) at The Meadowlands Raceway.

The 7^th race co-feature got underway with Alritealritealrite (Scott Zeron) scooting to the early lead with Mr Three O Five (Yannick Gingras) dropping into second place and then at the opening quarter mile in :27, Gingras mover Mr Three O Five to the lead.

Down the backstretch then came the 3-5 race favorite, Better Is Nice and driver Andy McCarthy and they blasted right to the lead before the half mile marker in an easy :56 seconds.

Firmly in command of the race, Better Is Nice cut the mile to the three-quarters in 1:24.1 as Mr Three O Five came out and became rough gaited and moved to the far outside as Alritealritealrite inherited the two-hole.

As they came down the stretch, it was no contest as Better Is Nice held his lead comfortably to win by two and one-half lengths in 1:50.4, the last quarter in :26.3. Alritealritealrite was second with Wish You Well (David Miller) third.

BETTER IS NICE REPLAY

It was a lifetime mark and the second win in just three starts for Better Is Nice. He is trained by Tony Alagna. A $30,000 buyback as a yearling as Alagna Racing and Marvin Katz bred the colt, he is now owned by Alagna Racing, Pryde Stables and Birnam Wood Farms, paying $3.40 to win.

“We put him in the yearling sale,” said Alagna. “And we did not think he would be a high-profile colt, but I bought him back. The colt’s been great all winter. He was always such a nice colt to train.”

It was a sweep for the first-year sire Bettor’s Wish as unbeaten Pulp Fiction (Bettor’s Wish) was able to lead from start to finish in winning the $240,000 NJSS Final for two-year-old pacing fillies for driver Todd McCarthy.

The 9^th race co-feature saw McCarthy leave with Pulp Fiction as did My Special Event (Yannick Gingras). My Special Event was first on the lead, but Pulp Fiction came at her to take command.

The first quarter went in :27.4 with the 1/5 favorite Pulp Fiction in command. They went by the half mile in :56.2 with no coming to challenge. Pulp Fiction cut the mile to the three-quarters in 1:24.4 and then came on even stronger to win by four lengths in 1:52.2. Odds On Steno (Andy McCarthy) came on for second with My Special Event third.

PULP FICTION REPLAY

It was the third straight win for Pulp Fiction and a lifetime mark for the filly. She is a homebred, owned and bred by Eric Cherry’s Let It Ride Stable of Boca Raton, FL and paid $2.60 to win.

“I know she can get out of the gate so well,” said Todd McCarthy about Pulp Fiction. “I was lucky it was not as much early fireworks as there might have been. She gave her ears a flick at the top of the stretch and looked around, so I had to keep asking her to the wire. She still has a lot to learn. Every time I asked her gave a little bit more.”

For complete race results, click here: US Trotting results.

by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink