Leading driver Brett Beckwith racked up five wins on Thursday, Dec. 4 at The Meadowlands, including two of the five first-leg dashes of the second go-round of the Exit 16W Pop-Up Series.

The young star started in the opener, keeping Clear For Landing ($17.40) fourth through :28.3 and :56.4 early splits before pulling him into the breeze en route to three-quarters in 1:26. The Per Engblom trainee then grinded down pacesetter Bourbonista S (Jonathan Ahle) and reached up to win the first $34,722 division for trotting winners of two but not more than four by a head in 1:55. You Dont Own Me (Brad Chisholm) was third. The sophomore son of Tactical Landing-Claire Michelle won for the seventh time in 12 starts for Consus Racing Stable.

Beckwith also captured the other $34,722 Exit 16W division for trotters with two-to-four wins. He placed Resolved ($15.40) in the pocket behind Craigieburn (Joe Bongiorno) through fractions of :29.3 and :58.3, then sent her first-up at three-quarters in 1:28.1 to go by the leader en route to a 1:58.3 victory. The three-year-old Resolve-Miss Adam T distaff won by three-quarters of a length over Shes Spicy (Braxten Boyd), followed by Gillys De Vie (Joe Martin). Rob Harmon trains Resolved, who is now three-for-27 lifetime, for Karma Racing.

Beckwith's other victories came with Googoo Eyes ($5.60), Hd Labbatoy ($3), and Bouquets For All ($8.80). The 22-year-old, who received the Rising Star Award in 2024, leads The Meadowlands standings by 25 wins over Mark Herschberger. He has amassed 554 wins overall this year with a win rate of 20.5 per cent.

Jason Bartlett showed up late to work because he had to go to a basketball game, but when he got to The Meadowlands, he made sure his brief night at the office was worth his while.

The favourite to be named the Dan Patch Driver of the Year had just two drives on the program, in Races 8 and 9, but he made them count, winning two Exit 16W Series contests.

“I got to watch my son play his first varsity basketball game,” said the 44-year-old pilot. “But then I had to leave and get over here.”

There’s little doubt he’s glad he did.

In a $37,500 event for trotters who were winners of four but not more than seven races, Bartlett guided A Real Legend to victory lane in a lifetime-best-equalling 1:53.4 despite a real-feel temperature of -7 degrees, the result of winds that gusted to 50 kilometres per hour.

The gelded son of Uncle Peter-Pink Ribbons, who is trained by Melanie Wrenn, left quickly from post six in the eight-horse field and led at the quarter in :28.3 before yielding the point to Queen Of America S (Ahle), who took the field past the half in :56.3 and three-quarters in 1:26. A headstrong 4-1 third choice in the wagering, Hey Porter (Beckwith), grabbed the lead while parked around the far turn, but Bartlett moved A Real Legend out of the pocket and swerved him to the three-path, and the five-year-old sprinted home to record an easy one-length win. Hey Porter was second with Scudo Hanover (Boyd) third.

“He got a little excited there for a second,” said Bartlett. “He came home in :27[.2]. That was a huge mile. I had to wait for him to get straightened up a little and once he did, he won pretty handily.”

As the 4-5 favourite, A Real Legend returned $3.60 after registering his eighth career win in 20 tries for Rosy Weaver and Heartland Acres.

Even more impressive was the winner of the very next race, Luisa Hanover, making her career debut for trainer Tony Alagna. She sat along the pylons through :27.1, :55.2, and 1:24.3 sections, then closed like a shot along the inside to get up over She Stings (Beckwith) by three-quarters-of-a-length in 1:53.3 in a $32,188 split for two- and three-year-old filly pacers. Cover The Crown (Chisholm) completed the triactor. The victory ended Bartlett’s night perfect at two-for-two.

The rookie daughter of Captaintreacherous-Lillian Hanover showed just one charted line on her resume, a third-place finish in a qualifier in which she completed her mile in 1:54 one week ago.

So where has she been?

“She was training great,” said Alagna. “But had a setback mid-summer so I just gave her time and now I want to give her experience for next season.”

Alagna Racing LLC owns Luisa Hanover. She paid $5.60 to win as the 9-5 second choice.

Big Ego ($18.20) won the other Exit 16W division, scoring in 1:55.3 by a head in the $31,250 race for two- and three-year-old pacing males. Ahle piloted the sophomore for trainer Mike Russo and owners Canarsie Stable.

Meadow Twaddle, making her second appearance as a co-host on the live Meadowlands simulcast show, tabbed five winners on top, including Resolved, who returned $15.40 in the 10th race. She also had the Pick-3 in Races 10 through 12, on which her followers collected $124.60 for a $2 wager. 

All-source handle on the 12-race program totalled $1,508,494. Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.

(Standardbred Canada & The Meadowlands; photo of Resolved winning on Dec. 4)