Up Front Juansteen wins Arden Downs division

Shaking off the problems that have plagued her all season, Up Front Juansteen worked out a cozy pocket trip and captured a division of  Friday’s $66,614 Arden Downs stake for 3-year-old trotting fillies at The Meadows. Full Tank took the other split.

The event, known as the Ned McCarr, was part of Grand Circuit Week at The Meadows, which is highlighted by Saturday’s $500,000 final of the Delvin Miller Adios.
           
Up Front Juansteen won $118,031 at 2 and was considered a contender for divisional honors this year. But according to Kelly O’Donnell, who trains the daughter of Andover Hall-Yankee Dakota for Ed Mullinax and Murray Brown, the filly suffered a variety of woes that kept her out of the money in her first six 2010 starts.

“She’s a funny filly,” O’Donnell said. “Out of the clear blue sky, she’ll run. And then she tied up earlier this year, so we had that issue. Everything has to be perfect for her. She has the ability, and I think she’ll get better the older she gets. So if we can knock out a little money here and there and keep her sound, she should be a really good 4-year-old.”

In the Ned McCarr, Up Front Juansteen and Tony Hall followed Ally-Gal Ridge, then blew by in the lane to down that rival by 3/4 lengths in 1:57.4. The first-over Perfect Photo was third, snapping her four-race win streak.
 
Full Tank put together a two-move effort for Dave Palone; the first burst carried her to a good seat in third while the second, uncovered bid sent her past the leader, Barham Hanover, and on to victory in 1:56.2, a career best and just a tick off the stake record.

“She’s been racing against stakes-caliber horses or aged trotters. That toughens them up as well as anything,” Palone said. “Still, she surprised me. I wasn’t going to move her until I had to, but she was full of herself. She swelled up on her own and made my decision easy.”
 
Pearly Princess finished second, 3/4 lengths back, while Upfront OB’s Janet shot the Lightning Lane for third. Bob Bencal trains Full Tank, who won for the seventh time in 15 lifetime outings, for Little E LLC, Arthur Geiger, David Stolz and Jason Settlemoir.

$73,008 Arden Downs Stake, 3-year-old Colt & Gelding Trotters

In a companion feature on Friday’s card, Kash’s Caviar and Hoboken Sonny each won a division, although their challenges came at different points in the race.
 
Kash’s Caviar, on the point from the start, was confronted by a determined Freedom Ridge in mid-stretch. When Freedom Ridge edged in front, Ray Paver tried to rouse the homebred son of SJ’s Caviar-O’Cala Cash but said the gelding took matters into his own hands.
 
“Nothing that I was doing was making a difference,” Paver said. “When he saw that horse go by him, he took right back off. He wasn’t responding to me.”
 
Kash’s Caviar scored in 1:55.4, a neck better than the rallying Tough Call, while Freedom Ridge saved show. Danny Collins trains Kash’s Caviar for Slaughter Racing Stable and Wayne Zollars.
 
Hoboken Sonny, on the other hand, was parked for the entire 28.3 first panel for trainer/driver Jack Parker, Jr. He was strong on the front, holding off the pocket-sitting MM’s Lucky Boy by a length to prevail in 1:56.3. The closing Photo Rules completed the trifecta.
 
“He’s getting better all the time,” Parker said. “We’ll probably race him in a couple overnights before the Pennsylvania Stallion Series final at Pocono.”
 
It was an especially satisfying victory for Parker, who owns the SJ’s Photo-Yankee Minuet gelding with Neal Goldman and Richard Timbo, since he had to be persuaded by his wife Carol to ship to the stake. Parker himself was leaning to racing Hoboken Sunny in an overnight event at Harrah’s Chester. How does he feel about taking that sage spousal advice?
 
“This was my Hambletonian,” he said.

Palone drove four winners while Hall and Eric Ledford each enjoyed a three-bagger on the 15-race card.(The Meadows)