After winning two of three starts at Yonkers Raceway, Tonys Mom shipped to The Meadowlands on Dec. 23 and was a good-looking, fast-closing second-place finisher in the feature coming from sixth with a quarter-mile to go. On Saturday night (Jan. 14) at The Big M, driver Jason Bartlett kept the Per Engblom student closer to the action and was rewarded with a victory in the featured $36,667 high-end conditioned pace for fillies and mares.
“She raced great two weeks ago,” said Bartlett. “So, I wanted to try and get her involved early if it didn’t seem too crazy.”
That was the blueprint for success.
Queen Of Success, the 2-1 favourite, was on the go early from post eight in the eight-horse field seeking her third win in four tries in this class. Tonys Mom was also away well from post six, actually leading at the quarter in :28.1 before Queen Of Success went around the eventual winner and made the point shortly thereafter.
Johnathan Ahle, driving Queen Of Success, was able to back the middle fractions down to :57.1 and 1:25.1, with Tonys Mom waiting patiently in the pocket to pounce.
When the field straightened up in the stretch, Bartlett moved Tonys Mom from the rail with a little more than an eighth-of-a-mile to go and went by Queen Of Success with ease before reporting home a safe one-length winner over a fast-closing Racy Roxy A in 1:53.2. Hot Mess Express was third.
“She’s a very versatile mare with great manners,” said Bartlett. “So, it makes it easy to just play how the race is developing.”
A five-year-old daughter of Heston Blue Chip-Donna Lee, Tonys Mom returned $8.40 to her backers as the 3-1 second choice. She now has 16 victories from 51 career starts, good for earnings of $237,914 for owners Morrison Racing Stables and Brian S. Gordon.
Andy McCarthy led the driver colony with three winner’s circle visits. Paul Blumenfeld and Robert Cleary each trained a pair to victory lane.
Devon Tharps and Randy Crisler were the winning drivers of the two divisions of the Martin Luther King Remembrance Race, an event that features all African American drivers.
All-source handle on the 14-race program totalled $2,891,180.
Racing resumes on Friday, Jan. 19 at 6:20 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)