Favorite wins in 1:50.3

Artistic Fella lived up to his status as the favorite in the $225,000 Berry’s Creek, winning in 1:50.3 over Real Mean Art and Bono Bests at the Meadowlands Saturday night.

Driver Ron Pierce worked out a third-over trip with Artistic Fella and the 3-year-old Pacific Fella-sired colt used his position to surge to the front in the homestretch with a :25.4 last quarter. Real Mean Art enjoyed a second-over trip behind the first-over Alastor Hanover, but couldn’t hold off Artistic Fella. Bono Bests started from post nine and rallied from far back to take third.

Sandro Hanover, driven by Yannick Gingras, walked to the halfway mark in :56.4 without pressure, but faded to seventh. The slow first half clocking was due in part to the wind blowing down the backstretch. “It’s a big factor tonight,” noted winning driver Ron Pierce.

Steve Elliott trains Artistic Fella for owner Joseph Alborano, 42, of New Egypt, N.J. “I’m a little nervous tonight. I feel like I did when I was playing ball as a kid,” said Alborano after posing in the winner’s circle with a large gathering of family and friends.

Alborano bought Artistic Fella as a yearling for just $13,000. The horse has now earned $216,235 by winning six of 11 career starts, including three wins this season.

Alborano said Artistic Fella will now be pointed for New Jersey Sire Stakes action, the New Jersey Classic, the Meadowlands Pace and the Oliver Wendell Holmes. The reason for the light schedule is he hopes to bring Artistic Fella back to race as a 4 year old.

“I keep every horse I have owned,” he said. “They are like pets. We bred our first mare, and she just foaled. We now have 39 horses.”

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