Bettor's Delight Wins $500,000 Jersey Classic;
Klingon Hanover 2nd In $557,700 Prix de Montreal;
Dancer's Legacy Wins & Real Desire In Season's Debut

June 2, 2001

Delaware, Ohio--Bettor's Delight, the 2000 Two-Year-Old Pacer of the Year in both the United States and Canada and a leading contender for the Little Brown Jug, coasted to a 3 1/4 length victory in the $500,000 New Jersey Classic Saturday at The Meadowlands.

Bettor's Delight scored his second win in three starts this season, eight of 13 lifetime, with a career best of 1:50-flat.

Klingon Hanover, who finished second to Bettor's Delight in last year's Breeders Crown, did not fare as well in his first major test of the year. Klingon Hanover finished second to On The Attack in the $557,700 Prix de Montreal. The Peter Blood-trained colt broke stride early in the race and was forced into an overland trip. However, Klingon Hanover did recover and paced strongly in the 1:51.4 mile.

In other action involving Jug hopefuls, Real Desire made his season's debut at Woodbine against older horses and finished third, timed in 1:51, with a final quarter in :26.3 seconds. At Lexington's Red Mile last year's Woodrow Wilson runner up Dancer's Legacy scored in 1:53.3 against older horses, pacing his final quarter in :26.4 seconds.

"I wanted him to be close to the front," said Mike Lachance, who drove Bettor's Delight. "I wanted to be in control. Last week was only his second start.Tonight with $500,000 on the line he responded. He's the kind of colt who is lazy and waits when he's on the front."

Scott McEneny, who trains the $1 million winning colt for John B. Grant of Hornby, Ontario, said the son of Cam's Card Shark would get this week off and go in the North America Cup eliminations on June 16.

Klingon Hanover, a son of Presidential Ball owned by Robert Rosenheim, Margaret Oweida and the Sampson Street Stables, is expected to race in Saturday's $300,000 Burlington Stakes at Woodbine.

Real Desire, chosen No. 1 in Stan Bergstein's Experimental Ratings, pleased his trainer Clair Burgess. "We're happy, that's what we were hoping for. He's healthy, he grew a little bit, and he's come back just the way we wanted him to. Things are on track for now." Real Desire, by Life Sign, was third to Bettor's Delight and Klingon Hanover in the Breeders Crown. Burgess said Real Desire's next start will be the Burlington Stakes. He is owned by Brittany Farms, Perretti Farms, Robert B. Burgess and Karen B. Olsson Burgess.

Dancer's Legacy is headed for Saturday's $250,000 Cleveland Classic at Northfield Park. The colt, trained by David Stratton for owner-breeder Philip Lyons of Buxton, Me., cracked a gone below his knee in the Wilson Pace and was sidelined after only five starts.

"We shipped him to Lexington to give him some confidence. He's just so green, he's made only 10 lifetime starts," explained Stratton. The Laag colt was sixth to Gunthatwonthewest in the $300,000 Berry's Creek Final on May 12 and fifth in last week's elims for the Jersey Classic.

This Week's Schedule

Saturday, June 9 -- $250,000 Cleveland Classic Northfield Park
Saturday, June 9 -- $300,000 Burlington at Woodbine

 

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