2YO gelding Its Complicated sets season's mark

Its Complicated made things pretty simple Tuesday at The Meadows when he captured a division of a $311,725 Pennsylvania Sires Stake in 1:56, fastest this year by a 2-year-old getting trotter on a five-eighths-mile track.

 

The event, known as the Florida Pro, was contested over three divisions, with Dontyouforgetit and Bluto — both driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Jimmy Takter — taking the other splits.

 

After two breakers shortened the field of contenders, Dave Palone moved Its Complicated to the front at the quarter pole. He prevailed by 2 lengths over Broadway Blaze, with Ergo Hanover third.

 

"The front seemed to be the place to be once everybody got settled,” Palone said. "He raced like an aged horse — he was perfect. I had to use him twice before the half. I was more than happy with 1:56.”

 

Peter Foley trains the homebred son of SJ's Caviar-Before the Rain, who has finished in the money in all five career starts, for Hatfield Stables.

 

Not to be outdone, Dontyouforgetit equaled the fastest mile this year by a freshman colt trotter on a five-eighths-mile track when he scored on the front end in 1:56. Arctic Tale closed well but missed by a head while Sailer Eddie completed the ticket.

 

"Going into the last turn, I thought I had plenty and that he'd just run off,” Gingras said of the son of Cantab Hall out of the world champion Solveig. "But he's a little green. It was the first time he'd ever been in front in a race, and he got a little lonely. I had to ask him the whole way. But he showed his guts down the stretch.”

 

Solveig's Breeders bred and own Dontyouforgetit, who is undefeated after three lifetime outings.

 

Aided by a :30.4 second-quarter breather, Bluto also stretched his career unbeaten streak to three with a wire-to-wire triumph in 1:57.3. The pocket-sitting Possessed Fashion was second, a length back, with High Bridge third.

Christina Takter, John Fielding, Louis Camara and Jim Fielding own Bluto, a son of Donato-Hanover out of Blur.

 

In the $22,500 Preferred Handicap Trot, Sir Caviar avenged a June defeat by Winning Mister when he exploded from the pocket for Brian Zendt, blew by his rival and scored in 1:53.2, a tick off his own track record for older geldings. The first-over Bettis raced well for second, 3-3/4 lengths in arrears, with Rembrandt Spur third and Winning Mister a fading fourth. Leslie Zendt trains Sir Caviar, a 6-year-old son of SJ's Caviar-Sierra Flower K who now boasts $447,019 in career earnings, and owns with Bill Zendt. (The Meadows)