Voukefalas romps in Big M qualifier

Voukefalas (Lazarus N – Inittowinafortune), the fastest son of first-year sire and world champion Lazarus N, scored a seven-length romp Thursday morning in a harness racing qualifying race at The Meadowlands.

Leaving from post three in the two-year-old race for driver Jordan Stratton, Voukefalas wired the field, cutting fractions of :29, :57.3 and 1:25.3 before unleashing a final quarter mile in :26.4 to win in 1:52.2.

According to trainer Michael Russo, Voukefalas will now go in the elims and hopefully the final of the $300,000 New Jersey Pacing Class at the Meadowlands and then the Governor’s Cup.

Bred and owned by long time Standardbred horseman Michael Pagonas of Saddle River, NJ, Voukefalas is a homebred from Pagonas’s top racehorse and now broodmare, Inittowinafortune p,5,1:49.3 ($698,002). Pagonas gives all of his homebreds Greek names.

VOUKEFALAS QUALIFIER REPLAY

Voukefalas was the name of Alexander The Great’s favorite horse. Alexander The Great was so enamored with Voukefalas that when the horse died in battle, he gave his favorite animal a state funeral.

For complete qualifier results, click here.

by Steve Wolf, for Harnesslink