Saturday, October 04, 2008

ARSON SQUAD FIRES LATE TO WIN MEADOWLANDS CUP

East Rutherford, NJ [October 3, 2008] - Arson Squad [$10.80, $4.80, $4.00] flew home late to give trainer Richard Dutrow his second straight win in the $350,000 Grade II Meadowlands Cup on Friday night.

Ridden by Edgar Prado, Arson Squad sat well off the swift early pace set by Timber Reserve and slipped through an opening in the stretch to best Anak Nakal [$6.20, $3.60] by 2 1-2 lengths in 1:48.81. It was a nose back to Timber Reserve [$3.20] in third.


"He broke good, but really quickly, we were pretty far back," Prado said. "I just sat on him and took my time. He's a very nice horse. He's run some good races before on the dirt. I guess he just doesn't like the polytrack. Going around the turn, I knew we had a good chance to win the race and I wasn't even asking him. When I did he responded really nice."

In his first start for Dutrow, Arson Squad stepped the 1 1-8-mile distance in 1:48. The 5-year-old gelding, owned by Jay Em Ess Stable, improved his record to six wins in 19 starts. Arson Squad won the Grade II Strub on Feb. 3, 2007 at Santa Anita.

"He's just been training awesome since he got here," said Dutrow, who won the 2007 Meadowlands Cup with Diamond Stripes. "He didn't like the synthetic tracks in California, that's why we got him. His previous trainer [Bruce Headley] did a great job with him. We were looking for a mile and an eighth race for him and this fit perfectly. He's been doing everything right, and this worked out great. I can't see him going back to California for the Breeders' Cup. The Clark [Nov. 28 at Churchill Downs] would likely be the next step."

Two supporting stakes were also featured on the Friday card. Roi Maudit [$4.20, $2.80], with Kent Desormeaux up, coasted to a 3 1-2-length win in the $65,000 Eillo Stakes for sprinters. The Bill Mott trainee has won four of 12 career starts and $175,377. In the $60,000 Princeton Stakes, a 1 3-8 mile turf event, Picou [$3.60, $2.40, $2.20] made a three-wide bid in the stretch and drew off to a 3 3-4-length victory with Jose Lezcano aboard.

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