Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Art Star wins Suslow Final

April 20, 2007

Art Star gave driver George Brennan a big 40th birthday present when he snuck through along the rail to win the $70,000 Robert J. Suslow Final on Friday night at the Meadowlands. Brennan sent Art Star to the lead around the first turn, then yielded to TJ's Ideal and Andy Miller along the backstretch. He found a small opening in deep stretch and Art Star burst through to win by a neck over Liberated Artist in 1:52.3. Yankee Stardom was third.

"I know he's a little bumpy-gaited and he's not real quick," Brennan said. "You've got to keep his mind on business all the time. I was trying to do that the whole time. With Andy [Miller and TJ's Ideal] coming, there was no chance of me keeping him out because [Art Star] just doesn't have that real quick foot. It was tight coming through the lane there, getting up the fence. He was running out so it was a tight squeeze for him to get through there, but he got it done. It was a good fighting finish. I was all over him and we were swarmed."

Trainer John Marshall and his wife, Susan, plucked Art Star out of the 2005 New Jersey Classic yearling sale for a scant $4,500. The son of Arturo has now won six of 13 starts and $104,830 for them. He set a mark of 1:52.1 in the first leg of the Suslow Series on April 13.

"I'm just happy to win for Johnny and Susie [Marshall]," Brennan said. "They've been great friends of mine for 20 years now and they work hard. This is a great feeling, winning for them."