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Mach Three and
McArdle Win Meadowlands Pace Elims;
By Tom White
Mach Three and McArdle won eliminations Saturday for
next week's
$1,000,000 Meadowlands Pace but North America Cup champion Red River
Hanover
ran into road traffic and failed to qualify.
Mach Three led from the first quarter and held on to
defeat Three Olives
by 2 1/4 lengths in a lifetime best 1:50 and McArdle withheld the late
challenge by Pacific Titan to score in 1:49.3. Red River Hanover
finished
seventh to stablemate Mach Three and failed to earn one of the five
qualifying spots from his $50,000 elimination.
John Campbell, who drove Mach Three for owner Joseph
Muscara of
Huntington Valley, Pa., and trainer Monte Gelrod, said of his Matt's
Scooter
victor, "He's getting better at relaxing. He was well in hand to the
wire."
Also qualifying for next Saturday's final were Brad's Gold, Royal
Mattjesty
and Yankee Sensation.
Red River Hanover was forced wide in the first turn
and never did pass
Slade Hanover. "Being wide wasn't that bad," said driver Luc Ouellette,
"but I got interfered with by Slade Hanover non-stop. It was stop and
go,
stop and go. I never got into the flow. My horse never had a chance."
Slade
Hanover was driven by Jim Morrill, Jr.
McArdle also set a personal best of 1:49.3 for Mike
Lachance and trainer
Chris Ryder. "I wound up getting a good trip," said Lachance. "He came
from
a long way back . It was a pretty good performance."
Mini Me, Million Dollar Cam and Allamerican Ingot
also qualified for the
Meadowlands Pace Final.
In other action involving Little Brown Jug hopefuls,
Sportster won the
$150,000 Motor City Pace in 1:52.1 at Hazel Park over Cheyenne Rei and
Blue
Martini.
At Hoosier Park, Tinsmith defeated Armbro
Watchman in a division of the
$46,000 John Simpson Memorial in 1:53.1 and Shine Towel toppled Perfect
Host
and Laredo Hall in 1:55.1. Henry Clay was scratched from this division.
Besides the $1-million Meadowlands Pace Final and
$100,000 Consolation,
Saturday's $75,000 Reynolds Memorial at Pocono Downs will also showcase
Little Brown Jug contenders.
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