Freehold: Every Way Out, Designated Drinker deliver in Babics

New Jersey Sire Stakes champions Every Way Out (colt) and Designated Drinker (filly) won the Lou Babic Paces for 2-year-olds on Saturday afternoon at Freehold Raceway.

Driven by Tim Tetrick, Every Way Out improved to seven-for-seven in his career by winning the $62,000 colt dash, staged as a non-betting race before the main card. He was in front through fractions of 29 1/5, 59 3/5, and 1:28 1/5, then closed with a 28 2/5 final kicker to win by a length and a half. Deo Galileo (David Miller) finished in second, and Firefox Hanover (Steve Smith) came in third.

An If I Can Dream-Every Play colt, Every Way Out is trained by Dylan Davis for the ownership group of Howard Taylor, Abraham Basen, Edwin Gold, and Thomas Lazzaro. He has banked $154,155 from his seven tallies. Plucked out of the Standardbred Horse Sale for just $12,000, Every Way Out is out of the Real Artist mare Every Play, a half-sister to millionaire Cam Swifty.

In the $57,000 filly event, Maiden Dream (Jim Marohn Jr.) led early, but she was overtaken by Call Me Capone (Pat Berry) at the 29 2/5 opening quarter. Designated Drinker followed Call Me Capone's move, then took over control before the 59 2/5 half-mile marker. Designated Drinker would go on to reach three-quarters in 1:29 2/5, and then she widened through the stretch to win by 5 1/2 lengths over Misqued (Steve Smith). Maiden Dream wound up third.

Trainer Chris Lems also owns Designated Drinker, a filly by If I Can Dream. Designated Drinker, who won for the second time from four attempts and pushed her earnings to $78,820, is out of the Dream Away mare Dreamsicle, making her a half-sister to Dontch Remember (Western Terror, $165,458). Designated Drinker returned $8.00 to win.