On a brisk December night at The Meadowlands, a $22,500 B-1/A-2 Filly and Mare Handicap Pace headlined a robust overnight card with full and competitive fields.
Sent off as the 2-1 favourite, Coffee Addict, the runner-up at this level the previous week, was allowed to settle off the pace for Corey Callahan. A keyed up Crazy On You made the lead to the quarter in :27.2 before yielding to the brush of Momma Rock, who would take the field into the stretch, through fractions of :54.4 and 1:23.2. With Montenegro applying persistent pressure to the leader, Coffee Addict was able to track the first over challenger while sitting in perfect stalking position second over. Callahan flipped his mare out and she rolled through the stretch, holding off the rallying UF Dragons Queen to score in 1:51.3. The winner is owned by James Clarke Sr. and Andrew Altobelli and trained by Bruce Saunders.
With the winter late closer series’ just a few weeks away at The Meadowlands, those prepping for the January events took to the track Friday night. One trotter in particular emerged as a potential horse to beat in one of those events, The Super Bowl.
In the first race, a non-winners of two trotting event, Opulent Yankee was sent off as a 1-9 favourite and did not disappoint. Leaving from post five with Andy Miller in the sulky, Opulent Yankee was allowed to settle just off the speed through a :29-second opening quarter. From there, Miller guided his trotter to the outside, where Opulent Yankee accelerated and moved to the lead and would never look back. The son of Muscles Yankee wheeled through fractions of :57 and 1:26.4 under no urging whatsoever. That continued in the stretch, as Miller didn’t have to move a muscle with Opulent Yankee dominating through the stretch to win in 1:55.3. It was the second lifetime win for the $4,000 Harrisburg yearling. His other win came at The Red Mile in a sparkling 1:51.4. Opulent Yankee is owned by Jeff Gural’s Little E LLC and trained by Julie Miller.
Mistery Woman got back to her winning ways, scoring a decisive victory in the $20,000 B-2/B-1 Handicap Trot. Sent off as the 6-5 favourite, Mistery Woman sat off the pace through fractions of :28 and :56-seconds flat, before following the move of Up Front Billy, securing the lead on the way to three-quarters in 1:24.2 and leveling off in the stretch to score in 1:53.3 with Callahan in the bike. Earlier in the season, Mistery Woman defeated 2013 Horse of the Year Bee A Magician as well as the 2014 Aged Mare Trotter of the Year Classic Martine in the Allerage Trot for fillies and mares at The Red Mile. Tonight, she held off the late rally of the talented Master Of Law to earn the victory. Mistery Woman is owned by Millstream Stable LLC and Aldebaran Park Inc. and trained by Jonas Czernyson.
In the third race, a $20,000 B-2/B-1 Handicap Trot for three-year-olds, Mister Anson pulled the upset of the night, scoring at 31-1. It Really Matters, led through an opening quarter of :27.4 before yielding to 3-5 favourite Odds On Amethyst, who trotted on the lead for the next three-eighths of a mile, before breaking stride midway through the far turn, allowing It Really Matters to inherit the lead. But, Mister Anson was just behind the new leader through three-quarters of 1:24.2 where he pounced on the leader, drawing clear to win rather easily, despite paying $64 to win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for Mister Anson, who is owned by Darrell Tibbetts and trained by David Duspiva. Mark MacDonald guided the son of Conway Hall to that second consecutive win.
An accident in the second race prompted driver David Miller to book off the rest of his Friday drives, but Meadowlands officials reported he was feeling okay and plans to be back in the sulky on Saturday night. Miller was driving Rockin Breeze in the event for two and three-year-old pacing fillies that are non-winners of two when she broke stride and fell while racing near the back of the field down the backstretch. Miller was unseated and trailer Spicy Sugar and Alek Chartrand were interfered with. Meadowlands officials reported that Rockin Breeze appeared to be fine after the incident.
The 13th race Jackpot Super Hi-5 went unclaimed again, sparking a carryover of $11,900.53 into the 13th race Jackpot Super Hi-5 on Saturday night.
Total handle for the Friday program was $2,701,379, yielding an increase of nearly five per cent compared to the $2,593,468 wagered on this same Friday in 2013.
Racing resumes on Saturday, with first post time at 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)