After stinging Opulent Yankee and Uva Hanover through a :26.4 initial quarter, Can Do ($31.20) emerged from traffic in the final eighth of Friday (Jan. 15) night's $25,000 Open 1 Handicap Trot, vaulting around a weakening pace for a 14-1 upset on an evening where favourites tasted defeat in the first nine events.
Anthony Napolitano wasted no time with the seven-year-old Cantab Hall gelding, gunning him to the fore in company with Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) and 3-5 favourite Uva Hanover (Tim Tetrick). After ceding the lead to Opulent Yankee at the end of a :26.4 first quarter, Can Do was relegated to third as Uva Hanover pushed clear with five-eighths of the mile remaining.
Uva Hanover maintained a fast tempo through a :54.4 half, but struggled to sustain after facing first-over pressure from Cash Me Out (Brett Miller) through the far turn. As the outer flow developed, Can Do was shuffled to fifth, but able to angle off the pegs just at the eighth pole as Uva Hanover was finally engulfed.
Napolitano angled Can Do to the four-path, and the pair surged to the winning post, prevailing by half a length over Cash Me Out in 1:53.1. Opulent Yankee saved third from his pocket trip, staying on once wedging between foes in deep stretch. Uva Hanover ultimately faded to fifth after facing a barrage of pressure throughout.
Owner Jody Riedel trains Can Do, now a 30-time winner.
In the sub-featured $20,000 Open 2 Trot, Detroit Rapper ($7.40) loosely chased live cover on approach to the far turn, catching up to the first-over B Yoyo (Joe Bongiorno) a quarter-mile from home before kicking cover in mid-stretch for a narrow 1:54.1 triumph over pocket rival Allerage Star (Andy Miller). The five-year-old Jailhouse Jesse gelding also had the benefit of a pressured pace in front of him, as B Yoyo provided stern pressure to 2-1 favoured pacesetter Hyway Marcus through a quickening :28.1 third sectional before the two were ultimately engulfed.
Jim Marohn Jr. drove Detroit Rapper to his 20th career win for the Harmon Racing Stable LLC and trainer Patti Harmon.
Heading to Saturday (Jan. 16) evening's 14-race card, the seventh-race Jackpot High 5 will have a carryover of $4,720, while $60,069 will carry over into the closing-race variety of the 20-cent wager.
Total handle for the evening was $3,053,776, an increase of $474,166 over the corresponding Friday night in 2015. The trio of guaranteed-pool horizontal wagers attracted a combined $161,353, well surpassing the guaranteed numbers.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)