Put On A Show, who earned raves for a 2010 campaign that resulted in the Dan Patch Award for best three-year-old filly pacer, is ready for her second act

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After missing all of last year because of knee surgery, Put On A Show returns to action Friday night (March 2) in the opening leg of the Overbid Series for pacing mares at Meadowlands Racetrack. The five-year-old mare and driver Brian Sears will start from post No. 10 and were made the 7-2 second choice in the morning line behind Anndrovette, at 5-2.

“We’re grateful to be back, and she’s well,” trainer Chris Ryder said. “She had a couple of qualifiers and we’re going to go race. I’m really happy with her; it doesn’t seem like she’s lost her edge at all. I think the biggest obstacle now is getting her seasoned, but she’ll overcome that.”

Put On A Show, a daughter of Rocknroll Hanover-Stienams Place, won 12 of 16 races as a three-year-old and earned $1.17 million for owners Craig Henderson, Richard Young and Joanne Young. Her victories included the Breeders Crown, Valley Forge, Simcoe, Miss New Jersey and Nadia Lobell stakes.

For her career, she has won 19 of 25 career starts, finished worse than second only once, and her $1.94 million combined purses for her two- and three-year-old campaign set the record for a filly pacer.

Put On A Show won two qualifiers in preparation for her return Friday. Her most recent was in 1:52.2 at the Meadowlands, with Sears in the sulky.

“Being off so long and coming back into open company, you have a little bit of reservation, but I’m looking forward to her race,” Ryder said. “All the way training down she felt super. I don’t feel like she’s lost any class edge at all.”

Over the second half of her three-year-old season, Put On A Show raced from the front frequently. Ryder would not mind seeing the mare look for a trip more often as an older horse.

“She’s excellent off a helmet [coming out from behind another horse], but we just had to go up to the front so much because you knew they probably couldn’t beat her,” Ryder said. “Now that she’s in the open, there is a bunch of good ones. She’s more likely to trip out because different horses are going to be making moves.”

Friday’s $40,000 Overbid opener also marks the seasonal debut for Anndrovette, who won the O'Brien and Dan Patch Award for best older female pacer in 2011. Anndrovette, who starts from Post 6, won 11 of 20 races last year, including the Breeders Crown. Tim Tetrick is listed to drive for trainer P.J. Fraley.

Fellow O'Brien Award winning stablemate Chancey Lady, last year's Breeders Crown runner-up and the second richest mare in the field with over $1.8 million in earnings, will be racing from the eight post in her own seasonal debut with Andy Miller getting the call the drive.

The field also includes the top four finishers from Feb. 17’s Cape & Cutter Series final: Symphony In Motion, Higher And Higher, Ginger And Fred, and Save My Shark. Symphony In Motion's stablemate Royal Cee Cee N will also be in the mix, along with Ginger And Fred's barn buddies Rock N Soul, Tea Party Princess and Rocklamation.

Save My Shark's trainer, Tony Alagna, will be the featured guest on Meadowlands Racetrack’s Friday night pre-card show. Watch the broadcast live at the Paddock Level television set or online at MeadowlandsRacetrack.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.

The Overbid continues March 9 and the $120,000 final is slated for March 17.

To view Friday's harness racing entries, click on the following link: Friday Entries - Meadowlands Racetrack.

(With files from HRC & Meadowlands Racetrack)