Golden Receiver stamped himself the one to beat in next week’s $110,500 Presidential final with another gate-to-wire score in the second leg of the series Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack
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After firing to the lead, round one winner Golden Receiver relaxed through softer middle fractions and gamely held off I Wanna Go Fast and River Shark with a :25.3 final frame for a three-quarter-length tally in 1:49.2, his fifth in a row.
Driven by Brian Sears, Golden Receiver paid $3 to win the $40,000 10th race Presidential split. The seven-year-old Village Jove gelding surpassed $700,000 in career earnings for trainer Mark Harder and owners Stable 45, Richard Taylor, Stephen Springer and Nina Simmonds.
Vintage Master [$6.60] and driver Dan Dube attacked first over and wore down Annieswesterncard late in the lane to win the second Presidential split, the fourth race, in 1:49.1.
The six-year-old son of Western Ideal, trained by Jimmy Takter, will retire after racing in the Presidential final. He enters his final start with a record of 17 wins in 73 career starts and $2,154,139 in earnings. Vintage Master was bred by Brittany Farms and is racing under the banner of Winbak Farm of Canada Inc.
A pair of The Complex second leg divisions were also contested on the card with the Dube-driven Avenue Hanover [$13.60] and Yannick Gingras-reined Itrustyou [$2.60] each taking an $18,000 division. Both four-year-olds put forth matching 1:51 winning efforts. Valedictory Stakes champion Itrustyou's victory was his ninth in a row for the Burke Racing Stable.
The Presidential shares the marquee with the $74,000 Complex and $73,000 Clyde Hirt finals next Saturday, January 28.
To view Saturday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Saturday Results - Meadowlands Racetrack.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)