Voukefalas dazzles in years fastest mile
- admin877793
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
Voukefalas made the biggest statement of the year in North America when winning the $35,000 Exit 16W Pop Up Series Final at The Meadowlands on Sunday morning.
The six-year-old son of Lazarus was outstanding pacing the mile in 1.47.1, the fastest time posted in harness racing in 2026 so far, and he had to do it the hard way.
After drawing post ten from the outside of the mobile over the mile, Voukefalas was sent on a mission by Braxten Boyd from the get go to find the front.
The first half was run in a sizzling 53.3 seconds, at which point Voukefalas finally found the lead. And by the turn they'd hit the ¾ mile in 1.20.4, at which point the leader had his rivals gasping.
Although the favourite Best Chip did his best to rally late at Voukefalas, it was all too late as they hit the wire in 1.47.1.
What is even more remarkable is that earlier in the night racing had to be postponed by an hour due to a torrential storm that left the track in a heavy condition.
His trainer Michael Russo was thrilled with the win.
“I’m super happy. He trained back so good last year, then when it was time to race, he just had something nagging him the whole year that I couldn’t get a handle on. He trained back super this year and stayed that way.”
"He needed to prove to a few people again how good he was, and he did."
Voukefalas has now won 13 races from 59 career starts, and is the richest earner by Lazarus with an impressive $1,179.725 in stakes.
Sunday's 1.47.1 is his best lifetime mark, indicating more is yet to come for the son of Lazarus.
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