Hellava Hush qualifies

Hellava Hush, a Pompano Park track record holder and recent winner of the Mack Lobell Trotting Series Final, won a qualifying race at Pompano Friday morning, in 1:56.2. His next start will be in an Open trot at the Meadowlands later this month.

With Tom Sells driving on Friday, Hellava Hush cut quarter-mile fractions of ::29.4, ::58.4 and 1:27.3 on the way to a 16 3/4-length score.

The career winner of $1,064,000 is undefeated in four starts this year, all at Pompano Park, where he swept the $125,000 Mack Lobell Trotting Series in February, and tied the all-age track record in the opening round of the series, a 1:533 victory. Joseph Chnapko of Livingston, N.J. owns the 6-year-old gelding by Lindy Lane.

"He's perfect," trainer Bill Gallagher said about Hellava Hush. "He came back from his layoff in great shape and breezed in the qualifying race for Tommy. We have been invited to race him in Sweden, where there are some major stakes events, but right now I want to take him to the Meadowlands and race in the Open trot, and then go with him in the Cutler Series.

"But the door is still open, so if he continues to do well maybe we might consider going to Sweden just to race in the Elitloppet."

"He was really sharp today," driver Tom Sells said. "He was all by himself, and usually he does not like that. He likes to have other horses around him, but he paid attention and trotted so well. He's an Iron Horse and never wants to stop.

"Bill Gallagher wanted me to go in 1:56. I just missed by two-fifths of a second. Guess I'm not as good as I use to be."

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