Take My Picture edged Flex The Muscle in the first of two $50,000 Townsend Ackerman divisions for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters Friday night at Meadowlands Racetrack

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Take My Picture executed a perfect rail trip under the guidance of Andy Miller, trotting to victory in 1:54.1. Flex The Muscle (Dave Miller) finished second, and Jetblue Volo (George Brennan) was third. Take My Picture paid $43.80 to win.

“He’s been a very good horse,” said Miller. “He was second in the Yonkers Trot. He just hasn’t won a lot. When he snuck up the rail [in the stretch] he had a lot of go.”

The gelding by Classic Photo out of Habits Lady was a $35,000 yearling purchase from the Standardbred Horse Sale in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. He is owned by Joseph and Laurie Davino of Clarksburg, New Jersey. In his Hambletonian elimination on July 31, Take My Picture finished fifth to Cassis. He has hit the board in eight of 13 starts and now has three wins lifetime for trainer Taylor Gower.

“The trip went perfect,” said Gower. “It’s what we’ve been looking for. This group was the right group for him and it fit him better than last week's group. Last week the bar was set too high. We haven’t made any changes since last week, it was just circumstance that worked out for us tonight. Last week the trip didn’t suit him and tonight everything came together. Next week he will race in the New Jersey Sire Stakes in Freehold and he will be there for three weeks. I’m not going to look any further in the year than that.”

Pretty Boy Lindy won the second Townsend Ackerman division in 1:53.3 with Tim Tetrick in the sulky. Kashs Caviar (Dave Palone) finished 3-1/2 lengths back in second and Texas Ridge (Mike Lachance) was third. The homebred son of Cantab Hall-My Dollys Dream is now four-for-14 lifetime for trainer Frank Antonacci. Lindy Racing Stable of Enfield, Connecticut and Robert Rudolph of Vineland, New Jersey own the colt. He paid $4.80 to win.

“The trip went well,” said Tetrick. “We got the two-hole trip and it worked out for us. I had to work hard to keep up with Sears though. I’ve driven him two times this year and I have won both times with him. Frank’s done a great job training with him this year. This week he didn’t have to be first up, unlike last week, and it worked.”

Three divisions of the Niatross for two-year-old colts and geldings were also contested Friday night. Fashion Delight (Dave Miller) won the first and fastest division in 1:51.2 while New Jersey Sires Stakes champion Lookinforadventure (John Campbell) earned his fourth consecutive victory in as many starts in the 1:51.3 second division. Shark Ingested (George Brennan), a full brother to double millionaire Shark Gesture, broke his maiden in the third and final division in 1:53.2. Larry Remmen trains the son of Cams Card Shark-Simple Gesture, a $110,000 Harrisburg Sale purchase, for the the same connections that own Shark Gesture; Norman Smiley of Boca Raton, Florida, Gerald Smiley of Montreal, QC and the T L P Stable of Kearny, New Jersey.

Two divisions of the Duenna for three-year-old trotting fillies were also featured. Keystone Tabby (Brian Sears) won the first division in 1:55.1 and the second division went to Cantab It All (Dan Dube) in 1:53. Jimmy Takter trains Cantab It All, a daughter of Cantab Hall-Better Odds, for Christina Takter of East Windsor, New Jersey, John Fielding of Toronto, ON, Melvin Hartman of Ottawa, ON and Falkbolagen Ab of Sweden.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)