Meadowlands: Grand Prix Deo, David Seaman S deliver in NJSDF finals

For chalk players, it was a matter of you win some, you lose some in the two $48,000 New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund finals for 3-year-olds on the trot Saturday night at the Meadowlands, as Grand Prix Deo pulled off a mild surprise in the division for fillies and 6-5 public choice David Seaman S clicked in the dash for colts and geldings.

Grand Prix Deo took down Leading Lady coming from off-the-pace for a second straight week when Leading Lady was a huge favorite, as the Andrew Harris trainee picked up her third win in 14 career outings. The winning time of 1:52 1/5 equaled the lifetime-best the daughter of Muscle Hill-Grand Stand established a week ago.

Sugar Packet was on the point at the quarter in 28 1/5 before 1-5 chalk Leading Lady, who was the 2-5 choice last week, sprinted up to command well before the three-eighths and led at the half in 56 4/5. Soon thereafter, the pocket-sitting Sugar Packet made an all-in maneuver, deuce-popping on the far turn before three-quarters was hit in 1:25, allowing Grand Prix Deo to advance to the two-hole for the stretch drive.

Leading Lady repelled Sugar Packet when they got to the eighth pole and looked like the winner, but driver Joe Bongiorno found enough room in deep stretch after Sugar Packet weakened enough to create the necessary space and had just enough racetrack to get Grand Prix Deo up for a nose victory. Sugar Packet held on for third.

"My horse was really good last week," said Bongiorno. "I figured if I put her in a close enough spot, maybe she could do the same thing she did last week and it ended up working out.

"Once Matt (Kakaley, driving Leading Lady) moved Leading Lady to the front, she was going to be really hard to beat off those fractions. I thought Leading Lady would be tougher than she was tonight. Not to take anything away from my filly. She still trotted 27 flat home and zigged-zagged through the stretch to make things happen."

As the 9-2 second choice in the six-horse field, Grand Prix Deo returned $11.20 to her backers.

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The Ake Svanstedt-trained-and driven David Seaman S scored from the pocket to rack up his seventh lifetime score from just 18 attempts.

Kingmen, the 3-1 third choice, broke stride at the start and was never in it, leaving it to David Seaman S and 8-5 second choice Captain Jordan to decide it.

Captain Jordan sailed around track on the front-end in 27 3/5, 56 2/5 and 1:25, but even after opening up a two length edge with three-sixteenths to go, got gunned down by David Seaman S, who displayed a good burst of speed nearing the wire. The winning margin was a neck in a mile that was timed in 1:53 2/5.

"He's not a top 3-year-old horse, but he is a good one," said Svanstedt. "He always does his best and has a very good attitude. Maybe he can be even better next year.

"When Bongiorno (driving Kingmen) broke there was one horse to beat, and it was Beckwith's horse (Captain Jordan), so it changed my strategy. I was confident (at the sixteenth pole) that I was going to catch Beckwith."

David Seaman S, a Six Pack-Dreamgirl Hornline colt, paid $4.40 to win.

SCHOOL DAYS: There were five $25,000 divisions of the fourth leg of the Kindergarten Series for 2-year-olds of each sex and gait contested on the program, and those winners were:

Race 2 (Colt and Gelding Pace) - Aintmyfirstro Deo (a Perfect Sting-Some Renditions gelding), Corey Callahan was the driver, Megan Scran is the trainer, time for the mile was 1:52 1/5 (five wins in as many starts), returned $2.10 as the 1-9 favorite

Race 3 (Colt and Gelding Trot) - New Hope (a Greenshoe-Cloud Nine Fashion colt), Joe Bongiorno, Linda Toscano, 1:53 1/5 (first win in four starts), $12.80 as the 5-1 fourth choice

Race 5 (Filly Trot) - Rio De Janeiro (Walner-Devilish Delight), Bongiorno, Nancy Takter, 1:55 (third win in six outings), $2.40 as the 1-5 public choice

Race 6 (Filly Pace) - Amazing Tammy (Sweet Lou-Skyy), Bradley Chisholm, Brett Pelling, lifetime-best 1:52 2/5 (second win in five starts), paid $18 as the 8-1 fourth choice

Race 10 (Filly Pace) - Perfect Hope Deo (Perfect Sting-Machnhope), Andy McCarthy, Noel Daley, 1:52 1/5 (third win in six tries), $5.20 as the 8-5 second choice

There was a Kindergarten split held before the betting card, that dash was won by:

Non-bettor (Colt and Gelding Pace) – Starstruck Dreamer (Captaintreacherous-Scarlett Hanover), Andy McCarthy, Noel Daley, 1:53 1/5 (fifth win in as many starts)

A LITTLE MORE: Joe Bongiorno led the driver colony with four scores on the night while Svanstedt led the trainers with a pair of strolls down victory lane. All-source handle on the 15-race card totaled $2,388,719. The upcoming week marks the next-to-last week of harness racing at the Meadowlands before the trotters and pacers take a four-week vacation. Live racing resumes this Friday and Saturday evening. Post time is 6:20 p.m. (EDT).

--press release (Meadowlands)--