With many Meadowlands regulars in Lexington racing at The Red Mile, opportunities for other drivers were there for the taking at the mile oval Friday night. Making the most of his chances was Delaware regular Victor Kirby, no stranger to the Big M winner’s circle, who won four times on the card, all in the Fall Harvest Series, a late closer for horses of moderate class.
Kirby recorded a “natural hat trick” by taking the fourth, fifth and sixth races in succession, scoring first with Adorabella in a division for pacing fillies and mares. The Don Biccum trainee, who was the 3-1 third choice, hit the wire in 1:53.3, lowering her previous lifetime best by two and four-fifth seconds.
Next up was 7-1 sixth choice in the wagering Pirates Alley, a John Wyatt-trained gelding who scored in a division for male pacers in 1:56, before Walks Of Life (5-1 third choice) took another pacing males event in 1:53.2, completing an all-Kirby Pick-3 that returned $514.60 for $1.
But Kirby’s fans had one more score in store.
The 48-year-old pilot, currently fourth in the standings at Harrington Raceway, kept 20-1 longshot Thunder Some Where close to the action in the 11th race, another male pacing division, and got up nearing the wire in 1:53.1 for trainer Paul Blumenfeld.
11s WILD IN PICK-5: Horses that went off at odds of 11-1 scored in both races two and three on the card, setting the stage for an Early 20-cent Pick-5 that yielded but one winner – who was betting into the Elite Turf Club hub – that walked away with $35,515.06. The lone winning favourite during the sequence was a lukewarm 5-2 choice in the first race.
The 20-cent Pick-6 failed to yield a winning ticket, which means a carryover of $4,577 will be available Saturday night.
A LITTLE MORE: Simon Allard, currently fifth in the Pocono Downs standings, and Marcus Miller, who’s in sixth, each drove two winners on the card. … The Big M TV fill-in team of Brett Risi and Andrew Demsky both gave out winning Early 50-cent Pick-4 tickets on the in-house simulcast presentation. … All-source wagering on the 13-race program totaled $2,304,358. … Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)