Andy McCarthy put Elysium Lindy in play early, and the veteran trotter took care of the rest, pulling off a 10-1 surprise in the featured $31,250 high-end conditioned trot at the Meadowlands on Friday night (Feb. 14).

The seven-year-old gelded son of Cantab Hall-Olympic Lindy displayed a burst of speed at the start from post six and had the lead around the first turn before yielding the front to 3-5 favourite Misslarose, who has been doing good things of late against the likes of Pappy Go Go and JL Cruze, as the quarter was reached in :28.4.

The second quarter saw little in the way of action, but on the way to three-quarters the outer flow developed with Winning Lyric, Kenziesky Hanover and Eye Ofa Tiger As gaining ground on the rim.

At the head of the stretch, Misslarose looked strong on the point with Kenziesky Hanover still going well on the outside as McCarthy waited for just the right moment to move Elysium Lindy from the pocket.

That moment came at the sixteenth pole, when Elysium Lindy split rivals – Misslarose to his inside and Kenziesky Hanover to his outside – and got up on the wire to win by a hard-fought half-length over a game Misslarose. Kenziesky Hanover finished third.

“Paul Gagne and Anthony MacDonald sent me this horse,” said winning trainer Andrew Harris. “And I can’t thank them enough. He’s been so good and the only reason he threw a couple of clunkers in his last two starts was he was hitting the bike. We got that sorted out. Andy Mac is just a magician. I love that guy.”

Elysium Lindy, making his first appearance at the Meadowlands since March 8 of last year, returned $22.60 to his backers as the fifth choice in the wagering in the seven-horse field. He completed the mile in 1:53.3, equaling his lifetime best on a chilly night when the track variant was -2. He’s now won 28 of 133 lifetime starts and earned $428,467 for owners Panic Stable.

A LITTLE MORE: Corey Callahan and Yannick Gingras both recorded driving triples on the program while McCarthy guided two to victory lane. … Ron Burke and Harris, the top two trainers in the Big M standings, each had a pair of winners. … Despite 3-5 shot Caviart Jane, 6-5 Obrigado and Misslarose all tasting defeat, six favourites still emerged victorious on the program. … All-source handle on the 13-race card was $2,187,146. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:55 p.m.

(Meadowlands Racetrack)