It was smooth sailing for Captaintreacherous as he easily captured the $635,750 Meadowlands Pace by 3 1/4 lengths over Odds On Equuleus in 1:48 1/5 Saturday at Meadowlands Racetrack.
Undefeated this season, Captaintreacherous, the 3-5 favorite, gave driver Tim Tetrick his third Pace victory while trainer Tony Alagna broke his maiden.
Captaintreacherous took the lead from Rockin Amadeus (28-1) before an opening quarter in 27 seconds.
“My horse got a quick two steps off the gate and he got the foot on ’em, so it really helped me,” Tetrick said.
No one ever got closer than 1 1/2 lengths to Captaintreacherous as he paced through a half in :54 1/5 and three-quarters in 1:21.
In the stretch, Tetrick kept Captaintreacherous to his task, and he opened up on the field. Sunshine Beach finished a quarter-length behind Odds On Equuleus to grab third.
“I asked him at the top of the lane and he took off good for me,” Tetrick said. “He’s been good all year. He keeps getting the job done and I’m so happy that he does.”
Captaintreacherous, the 2012 Pacer of the Year, is the first colt to win the Woodrow Wilson as a 2-year-old and Meadowlands Pace at 3, since Hall of Famer Nihilator did it in 1984-85. The great Niatross, Nihilator’s sire, was the first to do the Wilson-Pace double in 1979-80.
Captaintreacherous paid $3.20 to win.
Earlier, Bee A Magician won the $265,500 Del Miller Memorial in 1:51, a world record for 3-year-old trotting fillies.
Trained by Nifty Norman and driven by Brian Sears, Bee A Magician (3-5 favorite), settled in fourth at the rail as the field went an opening quarter in :27 1/5.
Approaching the half, Sears moved Bee A Magician off the pylons to challenge for the lead, which they secured just after the half in :55 1/5.
Bee A Magician had a two-length lead over Frau Blucher at the three-quarter-mile marker and increased that lead to four and a half under wraps as she hit the wire. Frau Blucher hung on for second.
“She’s a big strong filly built just the way you want them, and she gets over the ground so easy,” said Sears.
Bee A Magician paid $3.20 to win.
Sears also captured the $294,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial with Royalty For Life, in 1:52.
Sears moved Royalty for Life (7-5 favorite), trained by George Ducharme, to the lead approaching the half in :55 1/5.
Royalty For Life’s lead was diminishing as the field approached the top of the stretch, where Spider Blue Chip (3-1) challenged the leader as the two colts battled through the stretch with Royalty For Life hanging on for the head victory.
Royalty For Life ($4.80) is now considered a top contender for the $1.2 million Hambletonian on Aug. 3 at the Meadowlands, and Bee A Magician should be favored in the Hambletonian Oaks.