Two Gov. Cup elims

Always A Virgin and Takeshigemichi captured their respective $20,000 Governors Cup eliminations Saturday night at the Meadowlands and advanced to the $450,000 final for 2-year-old colt and gelding pacers Saturday, Dec. 2.

Always A Virgin and Andy Miller left the quickest from post six and grabbed the lead to the quarter in :27.4. Then David Miller swooped Sutter Hanover into lead and set the pace past the half in :55.3 and three quarters in 1:25. In the lane Andy Miller rallied Always A Virgin up the pylons for a neck victory in 1:52.1. Hagi and Brian Sears were third.

The winner is a homebred son of Western Ideal owned by Roll The Dice Stable trained by Joshn Green. This was the colt’s third win in nine starts and the time is a career record.

In the second elim Takeshigemichi and Daniel Dube left quickly but had to take a second seat to Olay Olay and Cat Manzi who cut fractions of :27.4, :57 and 1:25.2. Olay Olay led deep into the stretch, but when he and the first-over Pandoras Sox tired, Dube slipped between horses got to the wire a length ahead of the fast-closing Artzina and Jack Moiseyev in the 12:53 mile.

The win was the fourth of the year in 11 starts for the son of The Panderosa owned by the Lightning Stable and trained by Tony Mannino.

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