Gro stamped herself as the “one to beat” in next week’s $67,000 Jersey Girls final as she notched her second win in the series on Thursday night at the Meadowlands.
Driven by Andy Miller and trained by his wife, Julie, Gro wired the field in 1:50.4 in the second race, the first of two $20,000 Jersey Girls divisions on the card. Betsy Hall was 2 1/2 lengths behind in second, while Riley Rose was third.
Gro scored her fourth win in 10 starts this year and boosted her career earnings to $172,955 for owners Claudia Wright of Charlotte, Mich., and Roger Welch of Beecher, Il. Wright bred Gro, a daughter of Pro Bono Best, and her dam, One Cadet p, 1:52.1 ($318,254).
Fionavar Hanover shook loose late to upset the field at odds of 12-1 in the second Jersey Girls division, race three. She paced the mile in 1:51.1 in rein to Ron Pierce. Faith Leigh faded to second after cutting the mile. Binions was third.
It was the first win in three starts this year for Fionavar Hanover. Mickey Burke trains the daughter of The Panderosa for his wife, Sylvia, and co-owners Frank Baldachino of Clarksburg, N.J., and Howard Taylor of Penn Valley, Pa. (Meadowlands)