Aquarius round two held

In a four-horse charge to the wire, Bono Bests got up in the final strides to win one of two $35,000 Aquarius Series divisions on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. Trained by Jacob Hartline and driven by Yannick Gingras, Bono Bests paced the mile in 1:51.2 for his first win in two starts this season.

Real Mean Art closed fastest of all to finish second, while Alastor Hanover was third.

"The trip worked out real nice,” said Gingras. “This horse needs cover. He hasn't raced in four to five months. We just wanted to get him sharp for the final."

Bono Bests made his 4-year-old debut in last week’s opening round of the Aquarius and finished third. The son of Pro Bono Best won 10 races and earned $214,805 during his successful sophomore campaign. He hit the board in 19 of 28 starts, including a third in the $225,000 Berry’s Creek at the Meadowlands.

Bono Bests is owned by Thomas Grossman of Lyndeborough, N.H., Stephen Demeter of Tarrytown, N.Y. and Herbert Burns III of Wallkill, N.Y.

In the second Aquarius division, Mister Big held off the tenacious Tuffofthetoughest for a three-quarter-length win in 1:52. Royal Man rallied off a third-over trip to finish third.

Driven by Brian Sears, Mister Big notched his fourth win in six starts this year. Last month, he captured a preliminary leg and the final of the Willowdale Series at Woodbine. Virgil Morgan Jr. trains the son of Grinfromeartoear for Joe Muscara of Huntingdon Valley, Pa.

Mister Big was the runner-up in the $610,000 Breeders Crown 3-Year-Old Colt Pace last fall at Woodbine.

The $74,000 Aquarius final is Saturday, Feb. 24, at the Meadowlands. Also sharing the spotlight that evening are the $90,400 Junior Trendsetter and $70,000 Exit 16W finals. (Meadowlands)

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