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EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Harness racing driver David Miller poised Loubet (Sweet Lou) into a second-over position and nursed his speed in the straightaway sprint to nail a 1:49.3 victory in the $233,970 Kindergarten Classic final for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings on Saturday night (Nov. 12) at The Meadowlands.
Blue Hunt bolted from post 8 to the point into a :26.4 first quarter as Save America, the 4-5 favorite, peeled from the pegs and swept to the lead in the backstretch. Save America tried to snag a breather to a :55 half while Goldin Greatness readied to flush first over to the far turn with Loubet keeping close in behind.
Once activated, Goldin Greatness marched forward to within a length of Save America passing three-quarters in 1:23.1. Save America held his ground spinning for home and dug deep to keep Goldin Greatness at bay. All the while Loubet revved off cover and gathered his momentum down the center to hit his best stride in the final eighth. Loubet slid to the lead as Save America folded and held a 1-1/2-length advantage past the beam over a pylon-skimming Blue Hunt. Goldin Greatness fought to finish third and Ants Marching rallied for fourth.
“He was on the left line pretty good there,” David Miller said after the race. “Right off the gate, I got Dexter [Dunn on Goldin Greatness] on me and Yannick [Gingras on Save America] got in front of him, and then I figured Yannick would re-move and I would have live cover. It was working out great until the last turn – he just was bearing out too much… enough to where Todd [McCarthy on Ants Marching] slipped out in between us. But he was strong enough to get the win anyway. The horse just raced tremendous.”
LOUBET REPLAY
Ron Burke trains Loubet, who bagged his third win from four starts. The win padded his bankroll to $129,236 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, Michelle Yanek and Philip Collura. He paid $6 to win.
For complete race results, click here.
by Ray Cotolo, for The Meadowlands
