On a night where 10 of 14 favourites were handed defeat, punters combined to wager $3,035,296 on Friday (Jan. 29) evening's harness racing program at The Meadowlands, with a near steady stream of minor upsets yielding generous dividends throughout.
The first such minor upset came in the evening's second event -- the featured $25,000 Open Handicap Trot -- as Can Do ($14.20) sprinted to the fore and never looked back. Anthony Napolitano sent the seven-year-old Cantab Hall gelding right to the front, establishing a clear lead on the first turn while 6-5 favourite Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) was hard-used to secure the pocket from his outside post assignment. Can Do rated a moderate :56.2 initial half before facing stern first-over pressure from Uva Hanover (Tim Tetrick) on the far turn. The two duelled through a :28.2 third split, but Can Do maintained the upper hand, edging clear off the corner and eluding pocket rival Opulent Yankee by three lengths for a 1:53.2 victory, his second in three starts. Uva Hanover flattened to finish third, while Detroit Rapper (Jim Marohn Jr.) made a mild bid off cover to save fourth.
Jody Riedel owns and trains Can Do, now a 31-time winner.
The sub-featured fourth race, a $15,000 trotting event for horses which have not won six races or $100,000, saw Ron Burke trainee Its Huw You Know ($11.20) score in pillar-to-post fashion as well, rating sensible fractions before drawing off to a four-length win in 1:56.1. Yannick Gingras drove the four-year-old Holiday Road gelding for the Burke Racing Stable, Mark Weaver, and Mike Bruscemi.
While four of the first five races were won by horses on the lead or drafting in the pocket, the streaking Magenta Man ($9.20) bucked that trend -- and altered his own tactics -- in the $10,200 sixth race, capturing his third straight win in second-over fashion after prior pacesetting and pressing triumphs, just nosing out longtime leader T Js Mr Lavec in 1:54.3. Andy Miller once again drove the four-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding for trainer Julie Miller and the partnership of Little E LLC and RBH Ventures Inc.
Both 20-cent Jackpot High 5 wagers will carry over to Saturday (Jan. 30) evening's card, as neither was captured by a single player. Saturday's seventh race High 5 will offer $13,418 in added money should a single winner emerge, while the finale will boast a carryover of $69,103. First post for Saturday's 14-race card is 6:35 p.m. Eastern time.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)