Everything went Big Skewy N’s way in the Saturday night feature at The Meadowlands, a $56,338 Preferred Handicap for pacers, as the Scott Blackler trainee hauled down the razor-sharp Maximus Miki in deep stretch as the longest shot on the board.

Sent to the gate as a 46-1 outsider in the seven-horse field, Big Skewy N was content to let the fireworks go off up front early as Lyons Steel led while parked at the quarter in a demanding :26.2 before South Beach Star grabbed the top at the half in a taxing :54.2.

Sitting fifth at this point, driver George Napolitano Jr. put 6-5 favourite – and winner of this race two weeks ago – Maximus Miki in motion, and as he quickly made up ground on the leaders racing uncovered on the rim, there was Big Skewy N – whose odds were double that of the next longest horse in the field – working out a perfect cover trip second-over after racing sixth to the half behind a horse who was seeking his third win in his last four tries.

Maximus Miki’s momentum carried him right past South Beach Star as the public choice hit three-quarters in 1:22.3 while in full flight.

But Big Skewy N had a surprise in store.

At the eighth pole, driver Johnathan Ahle tipped the seven-year-old gelded son of Sportswriter-Serenas Whisper off his cover to take his shot at the favourite, and nearing the wire, after continuing to chip away at the leader’s edge, Big Skewy N got past Maximus Miki to win by a half-length in 1:49.2. Brue Hanover, who’s now been superb in three straight Big M starts, was third.

“I thought [Maximus Miki] was the best of the bunch,” said Ahle. “We got a good second-over trip and lucked out.”

Did Ahle think he’d be able to get past Maximus Miki?

“He’s tough but my horse is good,” said the 27-year-old reinsman. “Whomever is the best on that day [is the winner]. He was sharp to the wire.”

Big Skewy N returned a whopping $94.20 to win.

He upped his lifetime stats to 22 wins from 97 lifetime starts and lifted his earnings to 285,233 for owner Arrhythmic LLC.

Jason Bartlett won five races on the night to lead the driver colony, enabling the 43-year-old Yonkers kingpin to become just the second reinsman this year to win five times on a Meadowlands card twice, joining Yannick Gingras. Andy McCarthy and Dave Miller each won five on a card once this year. Only one driver has won six dashes on a single Meadowlands program during 2024 and that was Dexter Dunn on Hambletonian Day.

Tom Fanning and Cory Stratton each had a pair of winners to lead the trainers.

Trainer Zackary Gray got his first-ever Big M win when his Ice House went wire-to-wire in the 12th race.

There were no winning tickets sold on the 20-cent Pick-6, creating a carryover of $4,038 for Thursday’s card. Those with five correct collected $74.26.

All-source betting on the 14-race card totalled $2,515,960.

Live racing resumes at 6:20 p.m. on Thursday, as The Big M wraps up its second of two straight Thursday programs. Racing will then take place on the usual Friday and Saturday evenings.  

(Meadowlands Racetrack)