Meadowlands: Caviart Belle, Its A Love Thing reign in Silverman Memorial

Three-year-old pacing fillies hit the track at the Meadowlands on Saturday night in a pair of $100,000 splits of the Jerry Silverman Memorial, and the victories would go to Caviart Belle and Its A Love Thing.

Asweetbeachhere (Louis Roy) was parked past a 26 second opening quarter to get the lead from Sarasota Hanover (Scott Zeron) in the first grouping and then Pass Line (Dexter Dunn) would brush from third to first after Asweetbeachhere took charge. Pass Line would maintain the grip on the top spot through a 53 3/5 half and a 1:22 three-quarters, but Sarasota Hanover was out and moving two-wide at the latter marker, as was Caviart Belle (Yannick Gingras), who had been racing in sixth after tucking in from post eight.

Sarasota Hanover would forge her way around Pass Line midway through the stretch drive, but Caviart Belle was full of pace to Sarasota Hanover's outside. Caviart Belle sustained her bid to hit the front with about a sixteenth to go and pulled clear from there, prevailing by 2 1/2 lengths in 1:49. Sarasota Hanover wound up second and Canigetalouploup (David Miller) finished third.

"Last week first-up at Chester, that's not her way. She can pace for an eighth of a mile as fast as any horse. It's just a matter of getting her in the right spot," offered Gingras. "At the top of the stretch I knew I was a winner. She was pacing out of her skin."

Nancy Takter trains Caviart Belle, a daughter of Captaintreacherous bred by Hanover Shoe Farms, for owner Caviart Farms. Caviart Belle has nine wins and five seconds from 20 career efforts, has pocketed $609,255 and paid $5.40 to win as the 8-5 favorite.

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In the other section Miraculous Deo (Todd McCarthy) was on the point at the 27 1/5 quarter-mile marker, but My Girl EJ (Dunn) moved up two-wide and went by her beyond that station. My Girl EJ reached the half in 55 2/5, but Its A Love Thing (James MacDonald) got going first-up from fourth on the final bend and made her way into second on the rim as My Girl EJ got to three-quarters in 1:23 1/5.

My Girl EJ was game in the lane and looked like a winner for quite a bit of the drive, but My Girl EJ was unrelenting on the outside and was up for the win by a neck in 1:49 1/5. Geocentric (Tim Tetrick) overcame post ten and an overland journey to rally and finish in the show spot from third-over.

"I know Dex had a great filly as well. She was locked in in Canada. These two have kind of been going at it quite a bit the last couple of years," remarked MacDonald. "I just know mine can really take some air. Dex had the brakes on and was trying to back into me and make do the heavy lifting. My horse, she loves it. She's just a hard-nosed, hard-trying horse. The more track you feed her, the more she wants it. I knew it was going to be a dogfight down the lane, but she just knows how to stick her head out."

Its A Love Thing, a Bettor's Delight filly bred by Marvin and Lynn Katz and Al Libfeld, is trained by Dave Menary for owners Eric Good, Thomas Biederman, Josh Green and Rich Lombardo Racing LLC. This was her tenth lifetime victory, has put away $747,751 and paid $4.40 to win as the favorite.

This was the first time this event has been called the Jerry Silverman Memorial. Previously named the Mistletoe Shalee, the race was rechristened in honor of the Hall of Fame horseman who passed away earlier this year.

"It's really, really a great honor. I really am very, very grateful of the people that got this done for my father," said Richie Silverman, who drove some of his father's great horses. "He's one person up there that's looking down that's very, very happy right now. It's well deserved for him with all the great fillies that he had. It's just a great honor to be here tonight."