Just as an impending snowstorm closing in on the New York City metropolitan area did not interrupt Friday (Jan. 22) evening's 14-race program at The Meadowlands, eight rivals closed in, but failed to engulf Opulent Yankee ($4.60, part of entry) in the featured $25,000 Open Handicap Trot, carded as race two.
Andy Miller floated forward with the five-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding at race's outset, working clear of Massacaia (Brett Miller) well after a :27 initial quarter-mile. Once assuming command, Opulent Yankee kept at a sprightly tempo, reeling off intermediate splits of :55 and 1:23.3 while his stablemate Allerage Star (Scott Zeron) gradually gained into a joint second with a boxed Massacaia. Off the far turn, Opulent Yankee kicked clear at will, extending his lead to three lengths in mid-stretch before taken in hand late for a 1:52.1 win, his first of 2016 and his ninth career triumph. Detroit Rapper (Jim Marohn Jr.) negotiated heavy traffic through the stretch, splitting foes in the final sixteenth to just take second, while 65-1 longshot A Little More Love (Joe Bongiorno) made a late push off stalled cover to take third.
Julie Miller trains Opulent Yankee for the partnership of Little E LLC, Arthur Geiger, Jason Settlemoir, and David Stolz.
Later in the card, a pair of $15,000 sub-featured events were contested, one for top-level conditioned distaff pacers and the other for trotters which have not won six races.
The distaff pace saw Ron Burke trainee Tessa Seelster ($3.60) capture a second consecutive win, crossing and clearing from her outside post eight, rating an uncontested lead, and holding clear of a mildly chasing Not Before Eight (Anthony Napolitano) for a 1:51.2 victory. Yannick Gingras drove the four-year-old Shadow Play mare.
While another Burke trainee in Its Huw You Know (Gingras) set the pace in the sub-featured trotting event, he was collared in the final yards by Paris Princess N ($8.80), who enjoyed a pocket trip throughout before pouncing late to prevail in 1:54.3. Forever As (Tim Tetrick) rallied from off the pace to take second, just half a length from the victorious seven-year-old Diedre Don mare. Scott Zeron drove Paris Princess N for trainer Paul Blumenfeld.
The evening's card amassed $2,636,111 in total handle, up $96,749 from the corresponding Friday night card in 2015.
As Saturday's races have been abandoned and re-carded as drawn for next Saturday (Jan. 30), racing will return to The Meadowlands next Friday (Jan. 29). Both Jackpot High 5 pools carry over to next week, with the seventh-race version of the 20-cent wager now boasting $11,602 in added money and the finale carrying $64,800 extra should one punter take down the entire pool. Post time will be 6:35 p.m. Eastern time.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)