There was little doubt that Lexus Kody would be popular with the betting public in Friday night’s featured $34,722 Winners Over Handicap Trot at The Meadowlands. After all, last week, the Ron Burke trainee went first-up and missed by a neck to Periculum in the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial.

So, Lexus Kody was sent to the gate as the 3-5 favourite. And he delivered.

“His consistency has been the problem,” said winning driver Yannick Gingras. “But there is no reason he can’t go with the best trotters out there. He’s got the talent.”

Up Your Deo (Ake Svanstedt), the 5-2 second choice, was away quickly from post seven and had the lead out of turn one. Soon thereafter, Lexus Kody, leaving from post nine in the nine-horse field, was up to challenge the leader and took the point while parked at the first call in a snappy :27 over a track rated ‘sloppy.’

“He doesn’t mind a fast [first] quarter,” said Gingras.

Once ‘Kody’ had the front, he reached the half in :55.4. S I P (Mattias Melander), the 9-2 third choice, was in motion first-over on the rim at that point, but could not get close to the leader as three-quarters went in 1:24.

Proving once again tough to beat with the lead, Lexus Kody trotted home in :27.2 to record a safe two-length win in 1:51.2. Outside The Fire (Johnathan Ahle) was airborne late, closing a ton of ground to grab second, while Up Your Deo held third closing willingly along the cones.

“He felt good. He’s a nice horse,” said Gingras. “I just had to keep him out of trouble.”

A seven-year-old gelded son of Archangel-Lexus Helios, Lexus Kody improved his lifetime stats to 28 wins from 76 starts, good for earnings of $822,584. He is owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and Phillip Collura. 

Lexus Kody paid $3.40 to win.

Despite a sequence that had winners' odds of 2-1, 7-5, 9-5, 1-2, 3-1, 3-5 and 1-1, the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 returned a handsome $980.68.

Brett Beckwith had three wins to lead the driver colony. The 22-year-old reinsman extended his lead atop the Big M standings to 19 over Jason Bartlett, who is currently second. Beckwith’s victory total now stands at 75.

All-source betting on the 14-race program totalled $2,695,302 USD.

Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)