BAYONNE - Sweet Lou, a champion 2-year-old pacer last year, has been made the 5-2 morning line favorite for the $600,000 Meadowlands Pace.
The owners of Sweet Lou picked the No. 4 post position Tuesday for the track's signature race, shortly after the owners of second-betting choice Heston Blue Chip decided to start their colt from the No. 3 post after winning a draw to determine who would pick first.
Sweet Lou and Heston Blue Chip each won their elimination last weekend for this Saturday's race, earning the right to pick their starting slots in the field of 10.
The other eight post positions were decided in a draw at Winners Bayonne, the site of Tuesday's pre-race news conference, and the first off-track wagering facility to be built and operated by Jeff Gural's New Meadowlands Racetrack, LLC.
Sweet Lou edged A Rocknroll Dance by a neck in winning his elimination race in 1 minute 49.1 seconds on Saturday at the East Rutherford track.
The son of Yankee Cruiser, Sweet Lou has won four of five races this year, and finished fourth as the heavy favorite in the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup in his start prior to the Pace elimination.
In winning the Dan Patch Award as 2-year-old colt pacer of the year in 2011, Sweet Lou won 10 of 12 races and posted a world-record 1:49 in the Breeders Crown. Trainer Ron Burke shares ownership of the colt with New Jersey residents Larry Karr of Randolph and Carteret's Phil Collura, and Mark Weaver and Mike Bruscemi, from western Pennsylvania.
Dave Palone, who last week surpassed Herve Filion for the most victories in North American harness racing history, is the driver.
Here is the field for the Meadowlands Pace from the No. 1 post out :with colt, driver and odds
A Rocknroll Dance, Gingras, 4-1; Pet Rock, Brian Sears, 12-1; Heston Blue Chip, Tetrick, 7-2; Sweet Lou, Palone, 5-2; Bolt The Duer, Mark MacDonald, 6-1; Simply Business, Ron Pierce, 15-1; Thinking Out Loud, Waples, 5-1; State Treasurer, David Miller, 20-1; Time To Roll, Andy Miller, 12-1; Allstar Legend, Jim Morrill Jr., 20-1.
Post time is scheduled for 10:15 p.m.Heston Blue Chip won his elimination by a half-length over North America Cup-champion Thinking Out Loud in 1:49. He has won all five of his starts this season, and 16 of 18 in his career for trainer Linda Toscano and owner Ken Jacobs.
Toscano is driving to become the first female trainer to win the Pace. Tim Tetrick is listed to drive the 7-2 second choice in the race for 3-year-olds.
A Rocknroll Dance drew the inside No. 1 post for driver Yannick Gingras. The colt is the 4-1 third choice. Thinking Out Loud, who will be driven by Randy Waples, was made the 5-1 fourth choice after drawing the No. 7 post position.
