Meadowlands: Better Is Nice, Pulp Fiction dominant in NJSS finals

First-crop sire Bettor's Wish sent out New Jersey Sire Stakes champions Better Is Nice and Pulp Fiction in their respective $240,000 finals for 2-year-old pacers on Friday night at the Meadowlands.

The colts and geldings were first on the track in race seven and Better Is Nice (Andy McCarthy) was fourth at the 27 second opening quarter but would brush to the top racing to the half of 56 seconds flat. Pocket-sitter Mr Three O Five (Yannick Gingras) went wide with an issue heading to the 1:24 1/5 three-quarters, leaving Better Is Nice with a gap on the others, and he wouldn't give that advantage up, reporting home 2 1/2 lengths ahead of Alritealritealrite (Scott Zeron) in a 1:50 4/5 mile. Wish You Well (David Miller) rallied from seventh to third in the last quarter.

"We own the mare and we raised this colt. We had him in the sale, and we didn't think he was going to be a high-profile colt, but he only brought $25,000. I talked to Marvin [co-breeder Marvin Katz] and said 'I think I'll buy him back if he doesn't bring a reasonable number,' so I did," recalled winning trainer, co-breeder and co-owner Tony Alagna. "Seth Rosenfeld (Birnam Wood Farms) came in and my partner Robbie Pryde came in as well. The colt's been great all winter. He was always a really nice colt to train, but he kind of sees everything and he's just a real, real playful horse. He reminded us a lot of Abuckabett Hanover. We always called him Little Bucky all spring, so it's kind of funny that he's doing what he's doing right now.

"He's got a nice turn of foot and then he'll come right back to you. His mind does wander a little bit, and Andy, being so used to driving Abuckabett, it's kind of nice that he's able to drive this colt as well because they're very, very similar in their style."

Alagna had high praise for Bettor's Wish as well and added that Better Is Nice will be joining the Kentucky Championship Series at The Red Mile.

"That's what I tell everybody; I didn't go to the sale to buy this horse. I bred to Bettor's Wish right off the bat. I had all the faith in the world that the horse could deliver, and it was a special fit for the New Jersey Sire Stakes and dual-eligible mares like the mares that I have," said Alagna. "Bettor's Wish was a horse I was looking to breed to. Marvin and I decided that that was where this mare should go to. This is what she produced, so we're very happy with that."

Out of the Vintage Master mare Thatsoveryverynice, Better Is Nice has a record of 2-0-1 from three starts and he has now earned $138,600. He was the 3-5 favorite and paid $3.40 to win.

Pulp Fiction, driven by Todd McCarthy, was two-for-two in the prelims but had to overcome post eight in the final for the fillies. She did that pretty easily by leaving quickly and clearing My Special Event (Yannick Gingras) past the 27 4/5 opening quarter. From there, she was able to keep the tempo easy to a 56 2/5 half and a 1:24 4/5 three-quarters before she pulled away in a 27 3/5 final kicker to tally by four lengths in 1:52 2/5. Odds On Steno (A. McCarthy) was the runner-up and My Special Event checked in third.

"I know that she can get out of the gate so well. I kind of wanted to be pretty positive with her early and try and show that I was going to be up there. It was lucky. There wasn't quite as much fireworks as I thought there might have been. We'll certainly take that," remarked Todd McCarthy after the race. "I still sort of asked her down to wire, but it was more of a greenness thing. When I kicked at the top of the stretch, she kind of gave the ears a little flick and looked around. She's still got a lot to learn. The start before she had horses to her outside and she's had horses to race all the way down, but she was really good the tonight. Every time I asked her she just went on a bit, and Mike's [trainer Mike Hall] done a great job with her.

"He gave me a call when she was coming up to qualify at Harrah's Philadelphia, and I said I was going to be happy to be there. It was just one of those things. I got to sit behind her and I liked her. A few starts later she's managed to pull that off, so it was good."

Bred by owner Let It Ride Stables, Pulp Fiction is out of the Art Major mare I'm Trigger Happy, a half-sister to millionaires Heston Blue Chip and Sunfire Blue Chip. Pulp Fiction has put away $150,000 to go with her unblemished status and returned $2.60 to win as the 1-5 favorite.