Despite drawing post 10, Aardie B Miki N flaunted her back class in the Friday, Jan. 2 feature at The Meadowlands, crushing her foes as the 1-5 favourite in the $23,973 high-end conditioned pace for fillies and mares.

Brett Beckwith, the leading driver at The Big M during 2025, had the six-year-old daughter of Always B Miki-Tatijana Bromac on the go from the extreme outside post, firing from the gate along with Miss Idaho A (Larry Stalbaum) and Take Your Pick (Colin Kelly) into the first turn.  Take Your Pick had the lead while parked at the quarter in :27.4, but Aardie B Miki N surged past that foe just after the three-eighths and had the front at the half in :56.

“If I get away 10th, I don’t care if you’re 1-9 with the greatest horse in the world, it’s going to be pretty hard to win, especially off a half in :56 with those kind of mares,” said Beckwith. “So, you definitely have to be forwardly placed.”

Everything was going swimmingly for Aardie B Miki N heading to the far turn when Intothemysticmoon (Mark Herschberger) came alongside to harass the leader as three-quarters was reached in 1:24.1, but as the field straightened up at the top of the lane, Aardie B Miki N shrugged off the challenge and maintained a safe edge on that foe all the way to the wire. The winning margin was a length in a mile that was completed in 1:52. Fearless Bettor (Anibal Borjas) was third.

“She looked like she fit pretty well in there dropping out of bigger events into an overnight race,” said Beckwith of Aardie B Miki N, who strung together five straight wins in early 2025 in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series at Yonkers Raceway, including the $680,556 final. “I really didn’t have much to worry about as long as I could get her in a close enough spot. Luckily enough, I was able to grab the front and didn’t have to use her too much, and she did the rest on her own.”

Trained by Per Engblom and owned by M T Stables Ontario Inc. of Scarborough, Ont. since arriving in North America last winter, Aardie B Miki N lifted her lifetime stats to 16 wins from just 37 starts, good for earnings of $824,228. 

She paid $2.60 to win.

Beckwith also won the co-featured $23,973 conditioned trot with Bestfriend Volo prevailing in 1:54.1 by a neck over Full Of Muscles (Kyle Symington) and Be Different (Colin Kelly). Nancy Takter trains and co-owns the six-year-old Walner-Bank Of Newport gelding with Christina Takter of East Windsor, New Jersey, 3 Brothers Stables of New York City, New York and Deja Blu Stable of Versailles, Kentucky.

Beckwith and Jim Marohn Jr. finished tied atop the driver leaderboard with three winners each on Friday night while Engblom’s three-bagger led the trainers. 

One lucky player has started 2026 well in the black. There was only one winning ticket sold on the 15th race 10-cent Hi-5, and after 4-1 third choice Born To Dance won with long shots behind him that went off at 29-1, 32-1, 52-1 and 26-1, respectively, the payout for one thin dime was $21,944.53.

All-source handle on the 15-race program totalled $2,505,542 USD.

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

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)