The Jeff Cullipher barn has been on fire of late at The Meadowlands, and the track’s leading trainer kept on rolling Friday night, taking both Fall Harvest Series Finals on the card.
Skyway Kon Man may not have gone the best of trips, but he was up to the task, taking the final for trotters who were non-winners of $4,500 in their last five starts. Last week, the four-year-old gelded son of Conway Hall-Keystone Sadie exploded off cover to win going away in 1:55.3 as the even-money choice, which led players to send him off as the 3-5 favourite.
After leaving the gate from post six in the 10-horse field, driver Simon Allard settled Skyway Kon Man into the four-hole. Allard vacated the rail just after the half, but was unable to flush cover, leaving him first-over for the final seven-sixteenths.
‘Kon Man’ kept chipping away at pesky leader Levitation’s edge, and with about a sixteenth-of-a-mile to go, grabbed the lead before holding off the fast-closing Godspell Hall by a head in 1:54.1. Levitation finished third.
Skyway Kon Man returned $3.40 to win, and now has seven victories from 36 lifetime starts and earnings of just over $130,000.
But Cullipher, who won three races on Oct. 10 before winning two more on both Oct. 16 and 17, would record his fourth consecutive training double before the night was out.
Chiplosive, a four-year-old gelded son of Explosive Matter-Brooke Blue Chip, destroyed eight overmatched foes in the Fall Harvest Final for trotters who were non-winners of $2,500 by three lengths in 1:52.4, a time that lowered his previous lifetime best by a full second.
Driver George Napolitano, Jr. guided Chiplosive to his second straight Big M score with some aggressive handling, making the lead from post nine by traveling parked past the quarter before securing the top at the half in :56.2.
From there it was easy gravy as Chiplosive opened up on the field by 5 lengths at the head of the stretch before cruising to a three-length score over Piercewave Hanover. Broadway Bruiser was third.
As the 2-5 favourite, Chiplosive paid $2.80 to win, and now has eight career wins from 35 attempts, good for a bankroll of just over $118,000.
(Meadowlands)