A trio of winter series will draw to a close with rich finals this weekend at the Meadowlands

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The action gets underway Friday with the $123,000 Overbid Final and $50,000 opening leg of the Su Mac Lad Series on the card. Martha Maxine bids for her second series crown in the Overbid for open pacing mares. She is rated as the 8-5 morning line favourite from post nine (head no. eight) in the featured tenth race with Andy Miller in the sulky.

After a narrow loss to Sportsfancy in the first leg of the Overbid, she easily rushed past the competition to take the second round in 1:51. The 5-year-old mare enters Friday’s final with a record of 18 wins in 35 career starts and $307,890. She captured the $87,500 Cape & Cutter Final in a career best 1:50.4 on Feb. 20. Martha Maxine is trained and owned by Erv Miller and partners Brittany Farms and Tony Alagna.

"Martha Maxine is the rare horse who is both versatile and powerful,” said driver Andy Miller. “You almost never see one that can combine both like she can. Her versatility is her biggest plus."

Darlins Delight is rated the 3-1 second choice on the morning line from post four (head no. three) for trainer Jeff Stafford and driver Yannick Gingras. A winner of $2.5 million lifetime, Darlins Delight was first or second in 10 of 16 starts in 2008 as she battled divisional champion My Little Dragon throughout the season. She returned from a five-month layoff to race in the Overbid Series and has yet to reach the winner’s circle.

"I didn't want to go first over with her last week,” Gingras said. “She was in a bad spot. I think she's sharper now than she's been at any other point of her career. "

The $50,000 first leg of the Su Mac Lad Series for open trotters is also featured on the Friday night card. Enough Talk, the 2008 U.S. Older Trotter of the Year, will make his season debut for trainer Peter Kleinhans from post seven (head no. 1). Coupled in the wagering with Gallantly, he is tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favourite after breezing in 1:54.1 in a morning qualifier last week.

The $132,000 Four Leaf Clover and $104,400 Matt’s Scooter headline the Saturday card. The 5-2 morning line favourite in the Four Leaf Clover for older pacers, Rocknroll Band seeks to avenge his narrow defeat in the Exit 16W Final last month from post nine. The Ken Rucker trainee has won six of eight starts in 2009; his only off-the-board finish was the second leg of the Four Leaf Clover. He rallied from ninth at the top of the stretch to finish fourth, just three lengths behind the winner Its That Time in a 1:49.4 mile.
"He finished with a lot of pace last week,” said his regular driver, David Miller. “He was just too far back. It doesn't matter with this guy; he can do it from on or off the pace. What a great horse to drive. It gives me many more options."

Hypnotic Blue Chip bids for his fifth straight win and second stakes trophy in the Matt’s Scooter for three-year-old colt pacers. He will start from post eight (head no. six) as the 8-5 morning line favourite for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Mark Harder. After lowering the stakes record to 1:51.2 in the $82,500 Junior Trendsetter last month, he breezed to victories in both preliminary rounds of the Matt’s Scooter, including a career best 1:50.2 last week. The Matt’s Scooter will be a springboard to the $225,000 Berry’s Creek Pace on May 9 for the promising colt.

“I was disappointed Hypnotic Blue Chip didn’t make $200,000 or $300,000 as a two-year-old,” Harder said. “He didn’t really have any issues. I just didn’t manage him right at the start. He got a couple of tough trips heading into the Woodrow Wilson. I let drivers leave from bad posts. We could have gone on to the Breeders Crown, but we made the decision to shut him down. Now we’re getting some of this early money.”

For full Meadowlands entries, click here for Friday and click here for Saturday.

(Meadowlands)