Meadowlands: Bee A Magician dominates in Cutler final

The “Queen Bee” is back!

Bee A Magician, with regular driver Brian Sears in the sulky, blew away a field of top trotters to easily score in the $183,650 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial at the Meadowlands on Saturday night. Undefeated in 2013 during a Horse of the Year campaign, Bee A Magician won for the third straight time as a five-year-old with this perhaps her most impressive effort in some time.

Sent off as the 4-5 choice, Sears allowed Bee A Magician to float out leaving from post eight. With Wind Of The North and David Miller leaving as expected along with Lindys Tru Grit, Sears elected to put Bee A Magician in fourth through the 26 4/5 opening quarter.

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Sears patiently guided the daughter of Kadabra on a march to the front before the half set in a comfortable 55 2/5 over a track extremely fast with added moisture from above. From there it was virtually a one-mare race as the Nifty Norman-trained miss kicked the third quarter in 1:23 4/5 before sprinting away from Wind Of The North, coasting home in 1:51 2/5.

“She’s razor sharp right now,” said Sears, who indicated he would likely be making more trips to the Meadowlands in the future to guide stakes-caliber horses.

Second choice Market Share lost his footing early in the mile and broke stride for the second year in a row in the Cutler. Melady’s Monet finished third in the mile.

Three-year-old pacers got into action in New Jersey Sire Stakes events as last year’s top two-year-old male pacer, Artspeak, got down to serious business after two qualifiers where he never saw the front. With $20,000 on the line, Scott Zeron sent Artspeak to control the race and the son of Western Ideal was brilliant in a 1:49 career best mile looking smooth as silk. In the other $20,000 stanza, Hurrikane Ali was driven out to score in 1:50, also a career best for the John McDermott-trained colt. It was his second straight victory as a three-year-old after going winless in five starts at two.

It was only Rocknroll (Hanover) in the two $20,000 Sire Stakes events for fillies as his daughters Lindys Old Lady scored for Tim Tetrick in 1:51 and then Yannick Gingras had no anxious moments with Happiness in 1:50 4/5.

The stakes action wrapped up with the first leg of the TVG free-for-all series for older pacers. JK Endofanera, making his first start of 2015, edged out Modern Legend and Doo Wop Hanover in a tight three-way photo for the 1:48 4/5 victory. Gingras drove four-year-old winner for trainer Ron Burke.