Dude’s The Man makes owner’s 1st Adios memorable
Driver Corey Callahan crosses the finish line on Dude’s The Man to win the 2015 Adios at The Meadows Racetrack on Saturday. At right, Dude’s The Man, winner of the Adios, with, from right, driver Corey Callahan, owners Jessica Okusko, Howard Okusko and Doug Paul at The Meadows Racetrack on Saturday.
Dude’s The Man, winner of the Adios, with, from right, driver Corey Callahan, owners Jessica Okusko, Howard Okusko and Doug Paul at The Meadows Racetrack on Saturday.
Driver Corey Callahan heads to the winner’s circle after Dude’s The Man won the Adios at The Meadows Racetrack on Saturday.
Jerry Davis, left, and David Morgan, both of Pittsburgh, take a last look at the racing program before placing bets for the Adios at The Meadows Racetrack on Swaturday.
MEADOW LANDS – Jessica Okusko might want to visit The Meadows Racetrack a little more often.
Her horse, Dude’s The Man, overtook My Hero Ron down the stretch and burst to victory in the 49th running of the Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids on a hot Saturday afternoon.
Dude’s The Man, with Corey Callahan in the sulky, crossed in 1:48.4, the fourth fastest time in Adios history and one-fifth off the second-fastest time.
Yankee Bounty, one of three Ron Burke horses in the Adios final, was a surprise second after leaving as a 13-1 longshot, and Lost For Words, with David Miller in the sulky and owned by Brian Brown of Delaware, Ohio, finished third.
This event was the first time an Okusko entry raced at the Meadows and Okusko is the second consecutive female owner to win this race. McWicked, driven by David Miller and owned by Casie Coleman of Toronto, won last year’s race.
“It’s our first time on the track,” said Okusko, who stables about 20 horses in Vernon, N.Y. “It was just awesome. I didn’t watch the race until the half because I was a little nervous. I never watch the beginning.”
Okusko said the desire in Dude’s The Man is unmatched.
“He’s got a great attitude, loves to race,” she said.
Okusko has entered the horse in the Cane Pace at the Meadowlands Saturday and the Tattersalls Pace in Lexington, Ky., a $600,000 race in October.
“Every week, he seems to be improving,” she said. “We’ll see if he can go lower.”
Dude’s The man, who struggled off the start in previous races, got off well and sat fourth off the quarter turn and midway point. The 3-year-old of America’s Ideal and Art’s Risk slipped off the final turn and overtook a fading My Hero Ron from his second spot.
The horse, which has had problems with shadows on the track, was wearing a Shady Daisy shadow roll that acts as a blocker, much in the way a facemask works on a football helmet.
“Every 30 yards there is a pole and the shadows jump out there,” said Callahan. “We had (a Shady Daisy shadow roll) on his bridle because he was still jumping (at) shadows. Last week in the elimination, that’s why I took him back to last so that I would have cover. I just wanted to make sure I made the final. The Shady Daisy made a small difference. Good enough.”
Dude’s The Man caught a break on the final turn but it had nothing to do with the other horses or drivers.
“Around the last turn, the clouds came out,” said Callahan. “That was good. It’s sort of like a person afraid of stepping on a crack on the sidewalk. They are sort of like leaping over it. That’s what it’s like.”
Callahan said it was key to get off strong, because Dude’s The Man was no better than third at the quarter pole in his last eight starts.
“My strategy was just to get away as close as I could,” said Callahan. “I wanted to be first or second over, and it worked out.”
Dude’s The Man was purchased by M&L of Delaware LLC in Wilmington, Del., for $40,000 from of a yearling sale in Harrisburg in the first week of November two years ago.
“He came out of a great family,” Okusko said. “He’s out of a great family, has a great body on him and we got lucky to get him into our barn. He just seems to get better and better.”
Dude’s The Man finished in the money in nine of his 11 starts and nearly doubled his year’s earnings with the $200,000 first-place money.
Despite Burke’s disappointment of not winning, his horses finished 2, 4 and 5, earning $152,000. Burke had seven horses in the winner’s circle out of 28 entries and took in $320,058. Counting the elimination races, Burke’s horses brought in $500,052.