Meadowlands: Bentley Blue Chip, HL Kapara reign in Kindergarten trotting finals

Bentley Blue Chip converted a pocket trip to a victory at odds of 9-2, and 19-1 shot HL Kapara persisted in her stretch rally to win in their respective $125,000 Grade 3 Kindergarten Series finals for trotting 2-year-olds on Saturday night (Oct. 31) at the Meadowlands.

Driver Yannick Gingras procured a golden seat for Bentley Blue Chip to angle out and scoot by for a 1:52 2/5 win in the final for colts and geldings.

With 3-2 favorite Obiter Dictum breaking stride around the first turn, Gustav Vasa forged forward to the lead with Gingras perching Bentley Blue Chip in behind to a 27 3/5 first quarter. Gustav Vasa coasted up the backside to a 55 4/5 half and slowed proceedings through the last turn, prompting Captain Kenny J to angle out of third with Seven Pledges grabbing his cover. But Gustav Vasa spun off three-quarters in 1:24 1/5, repelling all foes except Bentley Blue Chip as Gingras seamlessly tipped out and zipped past to snatch the win by 2 1/4 lengths. Seven Pledges rallied off cover to take third while New Hope skimmed the cones for fourth.

"He hasn't raced very consistently because of different things with him, but he had trained good and showed more potential after each race," Sarah Svanstedt of Team Svanstedt said. "Winning the final is just great. You don't know before if you can win it or not even if you have a great horse. So, we're very happy about the end of the season for him."

Ake Svanstedt trains Bentley Blue Chip, slated to start next in the Valley Victory on Nov. 14 at the Meadowlands, for his ownership and partners Blue Chip Bloodstock, Tomas Andersson and Lennart Johansson. The Walner-Dunk The Donato colt, making him a half-brother to world champion Plunge Blue Chip, has now won three races from nine starts and earned $103,625. Sent off as the third choice in the betting, he paid $11.40 to win.

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HL Kapara kept grinding as the leaders labored in the lane and successfully reeled in the competition to land a 19-1 upset in the final for the fillies.

Leaving from post two, driver Tim Tetrick settled HL Kapara into fourth as Athena's Girl, making her first start since scratching sick from the Breeders Crown eliminations, pushed on the outside to take the lead by a 28 2/5 first quarter. Athena's Girl cruised unchallenged to a 57 second half and mildly accelerated through the last turn as odds-on favorite Orinoco angled off the pylons from third. Past three-quarters in 1:25 2/5, Athena's Girl kept wavering Orinoco and pocket-sitter Day One Dandy at bay, though Tetrick ripped wide after sitting second-over and gathered enough steam to nail weary Athena's Girl at the line to win by a length. Day One Dandy took third and Orinoco stayed on for fourth.

"She lost an eye as a baby, and I had to work with her and retrain her," trainer Harry Landy said after the race. "With one eye she's amazing, if she had two I don't know how great she'd be. She was really good for awhile, but lately I felt her confidence come back up. I knew she would be great tonight. I would put her against any filly in the country right now one on one; she would battle them down the stretch. She's really got heart."

A filly by Chapter Seven-Sel's Choice, HL Kapara collected just her second win from nine starts and has now banked $115,500 for owner-breeder Share A Horse Inc. The filly, bound for the Goldsmith Maid on Nov. 14 at the Meadowlands, paid $40 to win.