Medusa brought her gaudy resume to The Meadowlands on Friday night (June 17) and passed a stern test with flying colours, taking on a deep field and winning the $25,000 featured Fillies and Mares Open Pace in a lifetime-best 1:49.3.
The five-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight, who came to town riding a two-race win streak at the Meadows (PA), displayed her usual early speed and paced past the quarter in :26.3. She then yielded the top -- something she had not done during either one of her previous two starts -- as Lovineveryminute, who won this race a week ago, took the field past the half in :54.4 and three-quarters in 1:23.1 while Medusa lurked in the pocket.
Lovineveryminute weakened in mid-stretch as Medusa sprinted up the rail to record a one and three-quarter length win over 17-1 longshot Inittowinafortune. Gweneeee J was third. Totally Rusty, the 2-1 favourite, was never closer than seventh and finished last in the field of eight.
Medusa paid $13.80 to win as the third choice in the wagering. Brett Miller was in the driver's seat for trainer Andrew Federico Jr. and owners Randall Bendis and Thomas Pollack. Medusa has now won nine of 18 starts this year and banked just over $128,000.
C.K.G. BILLINGS SERIES AT BIG M: Since its rebirth in the early 1980’s, amateur driving has become a more integral part of the harness racing scene with each passing year and currently the sporting set help to fill race cards at many venues.
On Friday night, harness racing’s greatest travelling roadshow, the C.K.G. Billing Amateur Driving Series, moved on to The Meadowlands where it provided two trotting events in eastern region action. When the contests were finalized, James “Jimmy Boy” Marshall IV and “Yankee Joe” Lee each emerged victorious in their respective divisions. Marshall won his split with I C Caviar in 1:54.4 while Lee romped home an easy winner with Captain Primeau, also in a 1:54.4 clocking.
Next up for the Billings amateurs is a mid-west region contest at Scioto Downs on Friday, June 24.
CARRY ON: The Big M’s two 20-cent Jackpot Super High Five wagers have carryovers that continue to expand and both will be up for grabs on the next program. The fifth-race wager now sports a carryover of $17,598.95 while the 11th race version’s jackpot has now ballooned to $257,678.38. Racing resumes at the Big M on Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack & C.K.G. Billing Series)