On a night just for the ladies, it was Meadowlands regular Lauren Tritton who stood in front of the class, driving the winners of both dashes that featured fields comprised of female drivers as The Big M celebrated International Women’s Day (IWD) on a foggy evening on Saturday, March 7.

In the first ladies’ race, Tritton put Lyleground on the front early by firing him to the quarter in :27, and after reaching the half in :56.1 and three-quarters in 1:25.4, seemingly had things under control, turning for home with a 4-1/2-length edge.

That comfortable advantage proved just enough. Half Past Midnight, driven by Shannon O’Sullivan, a native Australian now living in Canada, rallied from four-wide with a quarter-mile to go, and after being airborne throughout the stretch drive, came up just a nose short as the 9-5 favourite. Parklane Terror, handled by Helene Engblom, had good late energy to get third.

“My horse had really good form on the front end,” said Tritton. “The horse went really well.”

“I stayed out of trouble there (early),” said O’Sullivan of some traffic in the early going. “We came out really well. I wanted to look out for the horse.”

Lyleground won the TrackMaster 71 pace in 1:54.1 for trainer Ned Urbanski and owner Chuck Mazzarella. The six-year-old gelded son of Artspeak-St Lads Moxie returned $6.40 as the 2-1 second choice in the wagering.

Tritton completed her sweep of the IWD events by guiding Ayr Dave Gb to a 15-1/4-length blowout score in a TrackMaster 74.5 pace in a lifetime-best 1:51.2. Lew Hauber, driven by Marie-Claude Auger, finished second, with Galante A, who was guided by Christina Johnson, getting the show dough.

Ayr Dave Gb, trained by Tritton’s husband, Shane, returned $4.40 as the 6-5 public choice. The winner, owned by Team Tritton Inc., is a five-year-old gelded son of Sweet Lou-Sold Out.

“Tonight, I made an equipment change and he showcased that it worked tonight,” said Lauren Tritton.

The night was about racing, but Lauren reflected on what the night meant to women in the harness game.

“A credit to all of the ladies. They did a great job tonight,” said Lauren Tritton. “It’s a great showcase for women in such a male-dominated sport. I absolutely love it. It’s a privilege that The Meadowlands put on a showcase like this.”

A total of 17 female drivers competed in the two races.

In addition to the ladies’ races, an all-female, five-member TV talent team brought the action to viewers.

Debbie Little, the associate editor at Harness Racing Update, hosted the show, which was co-hosted by Meadow Twaddle, the newly-named marketing director of The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association. Heather Wilder, known for many Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown telecasts, served as paddock interviewer, while horsewoman Kiara Morgan handled the analysis for a nationwide audience on FanDuel TV. Melissa Keith, the track announcer at Rideau Carleton Raceway, called the entire race card.

In addition, trainer Annie Stoebe hosted a live Facebook feed, Mary McDermott was in charge of social media posts and Jessica Hallett was on hand serving in a role she is known for, covering the happenings through a camera lens.

Chris Height took three walks down victory lane to lead the trainers on the 14-race card. He won with all three starters: Laser Speed ($6.60), Captain Up ($14.80) and Our Corelli N ($6). The conditioner is now 12-for-110 on the season.

Leading pilot Brett Beckwith topped the driver colony with three victories.

There will be a pair of carryovers awaiting players when racing resumes Friday night. The $1 PK 8 went unhit for a sixth consecutive offering, upping the carryover to $82,301. Winners' odds for the sequence were 8-5, 9-2, 6-5, 1-5, 6-1, 5-1, 7-2 and 6-1. Those with seven correct collected $1,610. The 20-cent Pick-6 failed to yield a winning ticket for a second straight night. After a sequence where the winners' odds were 5-1, 7-2, 6-1, 9-2, 5-1 and 2-1, those with five correct collected $112.98. The carryover is $20,356. The $1 PK 8 is available on races three through 10 while the 20-cent Pick-6 is offered on races eight through 13. All-source betting on the 14-race program totalled $2,562,100. Racing resumes Friday at 6 p.m.

(Meadowlands Racetrack; photo of Lyleground and Lauren Tritton winning on March 7)