Bettors Edge, the 2015 TVG Free For All champion, returned to The Meadowlands and rewarded his new connections with a decisive 1:49.4 score in the $16,000 Saturday night feature.
Bettors Edge was recently purchased by trainer Jennifer Lappe and Robert Santagata after racing for Ron Burke and earning $1.9 million.
Brett Miller put the eight-year-old Bettors Delight gelding on the front end through a :55.3 half-mile and kicked home in :26.3 to record his 33rd lifetime win. The 2013 Little Brown Jug champion, Vegas Vacation, finished second with Somesizesomestyle third.
“He is an old class horse,” said Miller, who was driving the horse for the first time. “I have raced against him quite a bit over the years and he was as nice driving tonight as he always looked when he would beat me.”
Bettors Edge made amends for a break he made in his first start for the new connections last week at Yonkers Raceway, but Miller gave a big excuse.
“Apparently, they had the hopples set way too long when he raced at Yonkers,” explained Miller. “They tightened them and he felt pretty good. He seems like he would be a nice horse for the Levy Series at Yonkers.”
Lappe added two other wins on the card to post a training triple. Heidi Rohr and Ron Burke scored two training wins.
Corey Callahan led all drivers with three wins while Miller, Yannick Gingras, Marcus Miller, and Jim Marohn Jr. all posted two wins.
Total handle for the 13-race card was $2,747,729.
The Meadowlands moves to a three-nights-a-week schedule beginning next week with Thursdays added to the regular Friday and Saturday nights. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)