Lindy Living and R Gem emerged victorious in the two $14,085 divisions of the second leg of the New Jersey Standardbred Development Fund for two-year-old trotters at The Meadowlands on Friday, Nov. 14.

In the dash for colts and geldings, Lindy Living left the gate quickly from post five in the five-horse field and secured the top at the quarter in a leisurely :28.3. Dexter Dunn was then able to set a moderate tempo after reaching the half in :58 and three-quarters in 1:27. 

At the head of the stretch, the pocket-sitting 7-2 third choice Trillion Times (Jason Bartlett) swerved off the rail to go after the leader, but went off stride, leaving only 2-1 second choice Whos Eyes Blues (Yannick Gingras) with a shot to take down the leader, but despite closing well, that one came up three-quarters of a length short as Lindy Living completed his task in 1:54.4 to pick up his first lifetime win in eight tries. Classic Pickle (Jeremy Morrison) was third.

“It was a small field and he’s been racing pretty well,” said Dunn of the Lindy Farms Of Connecticut homebred colt by Walner out of Lindy On Tap. “So, I put him on the front. He was a little lost down the backstretch but he’s been going some good last quarters. He’s got some ability and could develop into a nice three-year-old.”

As the 3-5 public choice, Lindy Living, who hails from the Domenico Cecere barn, returned $3.20 to win.

R Gem displayed explosive late trot to take the division for fillies in 1:56 to register her first-ever triumph in eight starts for driver Brett Beckwith and trainer Linda Toscano.

Julie Palema (Tyler Miller), sent to the gate as the 1-5 favourite, raced in fourth and did not swing to the outside until the five-eighths after Meme Queen (Johnathan Ahle) led the quintet past the quarter in :29.3 and half in :58.4. With a bold, swift burst of speed, Julie Palema was up to challenge the leader at three-quarters, which was timed in 1:27, as R Gem followed that one while gapped off cover. 

On the way to a seemingly easy score, Julie Palema might have been a bit lonely on the point while her two-length lead at the top of the lane dwindled throughout the stretch drive. R Gem was charging at her nearing the wire out in the centre of the track. At the finish, R Gem was able to pull off a 7-1 surprise, returning $17.60 to win. Julie Palema finished a neck back with Southwind Florence (Mark Herschberger) five lengths behind in third.

“I don’t think she was in an ideal spot,” said Beckwith, who raced from the back of the five-horse field. “But she trotted home super well. No complaints on my end. It looked like [Julie Palema] pulled up a little on the lead. You could see her head fluster a little bit. That obviously helped but all the credit to my filly. She had everything go against her and still trotted home pretty well. She did it all on her own and should be pretty good next week. She’s going into it pretty sharp.”

The Propulsion-Jewels In Hock filly races for leasee M And L De/Armitage Farm of Wilmington, Delaware.

The $70,000 USD (est.) finals are scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 22.

After no winning tickets were sold on the 20-cent Pick-6 for a second consecutive card, the carryover for Saturday’s races stands at $9,241. The odds of the winning horses during the sequence were 4-1, 11-1, 2-1, 12-1, 9-5 and 2-1. Those with five correct collected $146.28. The Pick-6 is offered on races eight through 13.

Two of the best young drivers in the sport were at it again, as 22-year-old Beckwith and 25-year-old Braxten Boyd each recorded three victories to lead the driver colony on Friday's 14-race program. Jules Czermann, Veronica Spicer and Amanda Fine finished the night tied atop the trainer leaderboard with a pair of wins apiece.

All-source handle on the 14-race card totalled $2,230,945 USD.

The final big night of racing for 2025 at The Meadowlands takes place when live action resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. with eight stakes races for a total of $2.6 million USD in the spotlight on Fall Four/FanDuel Championships Night. The action wil be televised on FOX Sports 2 (FS2) from 8-11 p.m.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of Lindy Living winning on Nov. 14)