PERFECT STING PROGENCY STUN IN HOME GROWN
In the wake of PA Perfect's 20-1 upset in the $50,000 Home Grown for 2-year-old pacing fillies, Everlast Sting Deo refused to be outdone and threw down a vicious :26 sprint home to break his maiden in the $48,000 Home Grown for 2-year-old male pacers and give sire Perfect Sting a sweep of Friday's (Aug. 8) co-featured events at the Meadowlands ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- August 8, 2025 -- In the wake of PA Perfect's 20-1 upset in the $50,000 Home Grown for 2-year-old pacing fillies, Everlast Sting Deo refused to be outdone and threw down a vicious :26 sprint home to break his maiden in the $48,000 Home Grown for 2-year-old male pacers and give sire Perfect Sting a sweep of Friday's (Aug. 8) co-featured events at the Meadowlands.
Coming into the Home Grown off three straight runner-up efforts that led up to a fifth-place finish to Sonofanutcracker from off the pace in the $225,000 New Jersey Sire Stakes final, Everlast Sting Deo was sent off the 9-5 third choice against six rivals. And with little competition for the early lead off the gate, driver Braxten Boyd elected to send the Perfect Sting-Little Miss K colt to the fore from post seven, pushing clear of Bookie J (driven by Jason Bartlett) and 7-5 favorite Callmebigpapi (Scott Zeron) to control a :27.4 first quarter. After rating middle splits of :56.4 and 1:26, Everlast Sting Deo faced a stretch challenge from Bookie J, who edged out of the pocket turning for home as 111-1 outsider Alotmoreaction began to fade after sustaining a mild first-over grind through the far turn.
"In the last turn, he was getting a little sleepy on me, but I was kind of letting him, trying to save up everything we could for the stretch," explained Boyd. "When we straightened up and he saw Jason, he offered no reason to let him by — and :26 flat, that's pretty impressive."
Everlast Sting Deo indeed came to call with a swift knockout punch in the lane, repelling Bookie J by a neck to win in 1:52. Callmebigpapi was a one-paced third, beaten 2-1/4 lengths.
Travis Alexander trains Everlast Sting Deo, who paid $5.80 to win, for Morrison Racing Stables.
One race before, Corey Callahan craftily rallied PA Perfect to a 1:53.3 score in the fillies' Home Grown section, overcoming traffic on the far turn and hooking four-wide in the homestretch to eclipse first-time starter Car Keys in the final yards.
With 31-1 long shot Wave Dancer (Zeron) calling the early shots and 1-5 favorite Napalm (Andy Miller) advancing from fourth to head the outer flow from nearing a rationed :57 half, Callahan elected to save ground with PA Perfect — who got away seventh in the nine-horse field — on approach to the far turn. Despite racing in tight quarters through much of the turn while Napalm dueled with Wave Dancer, PA Perfect found a seam to slip fourth-over at the 1:25.2 three-quarters before unleashing her winning move off the corner for home.
"She had been leaning in a little bit (in her previous starts), so they added a little bit more gear to her on the inside," said Callahan. "But when I got her straightened out, she chased down some pretty good fillies."
As soon as Callahan popped the earplugs, PA Perfect switched gears, charging hard down the grandstand side to nab Car Keys by a half length. Ladysassin (Brett Beckwith), who was buried in traffic on the far turn, rallied mightily up the pegs to save third, another three-quarters of a length behind.
Napalm faded to finish eighth.
"She's a little on the small side, so I don't know how much work she can do out there by herself, but if she can get some cozy trips and move late, I think she'll beat some pretty good horses," said Callahan of PA Perfect, whom Christopher Choate trains for owners Son Of A Beach Racing, Albert Zullo and Craig Smith. Now a two-time winner from six starts, PA Perfect paid $42.80 to win.
A pair of $10,000 first-round New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund events for 3-year-old trotters headlined the undercard.
Onajetplane ($3.60) turned in a stout two-move effort to defeat Go Ahead Makemyday by 2-3/4 lengths for a 1:52.4 win — his fourth of the season — in the male division. Niko Kärnä drove the Walner-Noble Lover colt for trainer Noel Daley, who shares ownership with Sjoblom Racing, LA Express Stable and Zei Zei Racing.
R Charm ($2.20) was much the best in the fillies' split, taken in hand by Zeron at the end of a 1:53 victory over Jersey Slide — also by 2-3/4 lengths. The Propulsion-Jewels In Hock filly, who finished fifth in last week's Grade 1 Hambletonian Oaks, notched her second sophomore victory for trainer Linda Toscano and lessee M&L of Delaware/Armitage Farm.
A LITTLE MORE: Trainer/driver Mark Silva captured two of the evening's three Meadowlands Amateur Drivers Club races, teaming favorites Bloodhound (1:52.1, $6.40) and Storm The Court (1:52.2, $3.60) to victory. ... Zeron led all drivers with three wins on the 14-race card. ... All-source handle totaled $1,757,341. ... Racing at the Big M resumes Saturday (Aug. 9); first post for the 12-race card is 6:20 p.m. (EDT).
