Meadowlands: Three winners in two Kindergarten Classic finals for two-year-old pacers

Tony Alagna ended up winning both Kindergarten Classic finals for freshmen pacers on Saturday night at the Meadowlands, although he did have to share top billing in the filly event with his former boss Erv Miller, as Alagna's Odds On St Lucie and Miller's Michelon's Filly couldn't be separated by the photo finish camera.

The fillies went after a purse of $148,700, and Odds On St Lucie (Brett Miller) had command through stations of 27 2/5, 56, and 1:24 2/5, with Michelon's Filly (Marcus Miller), who came first-up from fifth nearing the half, advancing into a joint second at three-quarters.

Odds On St Lucie dug in through the lane, but Michelon's Filly kept getting closer with every stride, and when the wire came up, they were inseparable, stopping the clock in 1:52 flat. Alkippe (Tim Tetrick) followed from the two-hole and was third at 36-1.

"I thought I was out there way too long, but she's been awfully brave passing all those horses the last couple weeks," relayed Marcus Miller. "She paid me back for taking care of her the last few starts, and she was as game as possible tonight. It was a great race. They were both digging right to the wire. I kinda thought I got up, but Brett's tough to get past.

"She's really sharp right now, so I'm sure if she's eligible to the Three Diamonds or whatever, they'll probably give her a shot at it now."

Odds On St Lucie is a Sweet Lou filly trained by Alagna for owner Odds On Racing. This was the fifth win in ten lifetime starts for the $110,000 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale buy bred by White Birch Farm. She is the first foal out of Shes Some Treasure (Somebeachsomewhere, 1:54 4/5, $15,200), a full sister to Captaintreacherous (1:47 1/5, $3,148,657). A 6-1 offering, she paid $5.20 to win.

Erv Miller trains Michelon's Filly, a daughter of Captaintreacherous, for owners Ronald Michelon and Michael Anderson. A $37,000 Standardbred Horse Sale acquisition who was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms Inc., Michelon's Filly scored her sixth victory from 13 starts. She is out of the Western Terror mare New Album (1:51 2/5, $476,972), making her a three-quarter sister to The Wall (Somebeachsomewhere, 1:51 4/5, $191,051). The even-money favorite, Michelon's Filly returned $2.60 to win.

Two races later the boys competed in their $173,800 tilt, and Alagna pupil Escapetothebeach (Andrew McCarthy), sent off at 7-1, won in 1:51 3/5.

Escapetothebeach followed fellow Alagna Armada member Waterway (B. Miller) through panels of 27 1/5, 56, and 1:24, squeezed up the cones in mid-stretch, and was up to prevail by three-parts of a length. Mac's Power (David Miller) rallied to get second, and Waterway had to settle for third.

"He was hit-or-miss there early, and Tony Alagna's done a good job," remarked McCarthy. "He put him on Lasix, changed the bit, and he's a little more aggressive now. He raced really good tonight. I actually bumped him off the gate right before the man said go, so that was a whoops, but I got him to hustle out of there pretty good. He crossed over, and I got the trip that I wanted. I got lucky to sneak up the inside halfway through the stretch there.

"He had a lot of pace, so I was quite confident if I got out I was the winner. I kept edging to the outside hoping I'd get room, but it wasn't coming. I looked and it looked like it starting to open up on the inside, so I switched him back there, and he went right through."

Alagna And Inthegym, Joe Sbrocco, Robert Leblanc, and W.J. Donovan own Escapetothebeach, a colt by Somebeachsomewhere. Taken out of the Lexington Selected Yearling Sale for $175,000, he is now a three-time winner, and he has banked $124,728. Bred by Bamond Racing LLC., Escapetothebeach is the first foal out of Shelliscape (Artiscape, 1:49 1/5, $1,152,602). He paid $16.00 to win.

"Tony Alagna really liked this horse a lot, so we took a chance," said John Fodera, part of the In The Gym ownership group. "I think it was the highest one we bid on, and we had Joe Sbrocco, Bob Leblanc, Bill Donovan, all the guys that wanted to get together. We thought it was a good interest, and he started off a little slow, but he's been better and better, and I think the Lasix really did help the horse quite a bit."