Bettor’s Wish p,3,1:47.4; 4,1:47.3 ($2,601,233)
Dan Patch Older Pacing Horse of 2020
and Top money winning Open Pacer;
Dan Patch 3-year-old Pacing Colt of 2019,
Top money winning Standardbred of 2019
FIRST horse in 17 years to win back-to-back
Dan Patch Awards at 3 and 4.
Lifetime: 44 starts • 24 – 13 – 4 ($2,601,233)
2020: 13 starts • 6 – 3 – 2 <> $685,432 – p,4,1:47.3
2019: 19 starts • 13 – 6 – 0 <> $1,643,745 – p,3,1:47.4
2018: 12 starts • 5 – 4 – 2 <> $ 272,056 – p,2,1:51.1
Bettor’s Wish to stand in New Jersey for 2025
The Bettor’s Wish Syndicate and Southwind Farms are pleased to announce that Bettor’s Wish 1:47.3, $2,601,233 will relocate to Southwind Farms in Pennington, NJ commencing the 2025 season standing for a stud fee of $7500.
Bettor’s Wish has proved himself as the heir apparent to the great BETTOR’S DELIGHT already producing millionaire BETTER IS NICE p, 3, 1:48, $1,026,183, Adios Elim winner WISH YOU WELL p, 3, 1:49.1, $470,440, and NJSS Champions from his first small crop of 39 foals. 2024 has seen a string of stakes winners in multiple states and Champions in the NJ, PA & KY Sires Stakes. His foals have earned $3,752,674 to date.
Bettor’s Wish NJ eligible foals will benefit from the strong NJ program including the NJ Sires Stakes, NJ Classic Series with $240,000 and $150,000 finals respectively, NJSS Maturity, Renaissance Pace, Development Fund races and Home Grown Pace. The NJ Racing Commission has allocated $1.2 million in 2025 for NJ Sired Awards and NJ Breeders Awards. NJ currently offers 12% Breeders Awards and 25% NJ Sired Bonus awards in selected NJ sponsored stake races.
Impeccably bred, Bettor’s Wish hails from the immediate family of American Ideal and Life Sign and the highly sought after and prolific Three Diamonds which has also produced Twin B Joe Fresh and Seven Colors. Bettor’s Wish earned $2.6 million on the track and was named Dan Patch 3YO Pacer Of The Year and Aged Pacer Of The Year at 4. His first 2 crops have put Bettor’s Wish at the top of the siring ranks. Bettor’s Wish was the leading first-crop pacing sire in 2023 and is the leading pacing sire of 3YOs by average earnings in 2024.
For a breeding application please contact Southwind Farms at 609-737-9067 or www.southwindfarms.net/bettors-wish
For share information please contact the Bettor’s Wish Syndicate at 908-451-4135.
PROGENY OF BETTOR’S WISH:
‘STENO’, ‘ARBITRAGE’ TAKE NJSS FINALS AT BIG M
By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations (Lisa photos)
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Odds On Steno and Arbitrage Hanover – both sired by Bettor’s Wish – completed three-race sweeps of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for 3-year-olds on the pace, as each won their respective $240,000 finals Saturday night at The Meadowlands.
In the dash for fillies, Pulp Fiction left alertly from post seven and grabbed the top at the quarter in :27. Odds On Steno, who was in no particular hurry from post eight in the eight-horse field in the early going, marched her way toward the leader racing on the outside before clearing at the three-eighths then hitting the half in not-so-taxing :55.2.
“Not really,” said winning driver Andy McCarthy if he was concerned that there were horses leaving underneath him. “I figured there’d be a few leavers in there. You know, the way that she went last week, I figured that they wouldn’t want to be too far away from me. So, I expected a little bit of pressure early in the pace and then I just kind of let the dust settle and worked my way up there.”
A soft three-quarter time of 1:24.1 left plenty in the tank for the daughter of Bettor’s Wish-Odds On St Lucie, and Odds On Steno powered through her final quarter in :26.4 on the way to an easy-as-pie 3-length win in 1:51. Where’s Larry emerged from the three hole to gun down Pulp Fiction for the place spot.
“She was terrific tonight and she did that very easy, so hopefully onwards and upwards, she’s good,” said McCarthy. “I figured she was doing everything right at the time [through the stretch]. I didn’t really want to mess with her too much [by pulling her ear plugs]. I was just telling her that she was a good girl, and keep on trucking.”
Trained by Tony Alagna and owned by Let It Ride Stables and Odds On Racing, Odds On Steno was odds-on for a third straight outing and paid $2.40 to win as the 1-5 public choice. She now has won half of her 14 lifetime starts and earned $283,750.
Arbitrage Hanover’s assignment was more difficult than Odds On Steno’s in the division for colts and geldings, but the Brett Pelling student stayed perfect in four seasonal tries after overcoming post 10 in a tough field.
“Well, Todd [McCarthy is] good at [leaving the gate],” said Pelling. “I mean, Todd’s one of the best I’ve ever seen at getting one off the wing, so you knew he was going to go forward.”
So Todd asked for speed from the gelded son of Bettor’s Wish-Ana Hanover and received plenty, as ‘Arbitrage’ reached the quarter first while parked in :27. Better Is Nice, for a third straight start sent to the gate as the favorite (this time, 3-2), had designs on the point, and Todd’s big brother Andy put his horse there, leading past the half in :54.4.
Endofstory, also seeking a NJSS sweep, was now challenging the leader on the outside as Arbitrage Hanover continued to sit patiently in the pocket while Better Is Nice went past three-quarters in 1:23.
Unable to sustain his bid, Endofstory wasn’t much of a factor through the stretch drive, and with a little more than a sixteenth-of-a-mile to go, Todd found a sliver of room for Arbitrage Hanover up the inside to nail Better Is Nice by a thrilling half-length in a lifetime-best 1:49.1. Mr Three O Five was superb in deep stretch to get third.
“He’s push button, wears a little pony bridle, and does anything you like,” said Pelling of Arbitrage. “The hesitation he had last year just in the turns with just nicking a knee a little bit. It seems to have passed him by.”
Pelling, a record five-time winner of The Meadowlands Pace, has not had a lot of success as an owner in his career.
“Well, I dabble; every year I sort of put a bit in and try and have a piece of this or a piece of that,” he said. “You know, I’ve trained some great horses with some great owners, but you’re right, this is the biggest purse that I’ve won as a part owner and it’s fantastic.”
With The Pace less than two months away, Pelling was non-committal about possibly supplementing his horse to the $700,000 (est.) event, with a payment of approximately $70,000 necessary to get him eligible.
“It never crossed my mind,” said Pelling with a laugh. “I mean, crazier things have happened. No, I can’t even answer that one; we gotta go back, regroup.”
Owned by Pelling Racing, Rojan Stables and Bridle Path Stables, Arbitrage Hanover returned $9.60 to his backers as the 7-2 third choice in the betting. He’s now won five of 16 lifetime outings and earned $203,750.
Pelling sees a bright future for his prized pupil.
“You know what, a lot of people probably don’t know this, but, his mother and Allywag [Hanover’s] mother are sisters and Allywag just got better with age and I see this horse getting better with age as well,” said Pelling.
A LITTLE MORE: Dave Miller led the driver colony with three victories on the night, while Alagna and Ron Burke topped the trainers with a pair of wins apiece. … All-source handle on the 14-race card totaled $3,139,424. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.
SIRE of these successful 2-year-olds in 2023,
Multiple Stakes winners by BETTER’S WISH include:
BETTER IS NICE p,2,1:50.3 ($510,120). Winner Breeders Crown elim, 2 legs and the final of KY Sires Stakes Championship division, 1 leg and the final of the NJ Sires Stakes at Meadowlands, Bluegrass Stake at Lexington;
PULP FICTION (M), p,2,1:52.2 ($189,400);
WISH YOU WELL p,2,1:52.3 ($191,945);
ODDS ON STENO (M), p,2,1:52.2 ($133,750), etc.
From 39 registered foals, 24 starters (62%) (as of Nov. 21)