After being dismissed at odds of 50-1, Buen Camino shocked an abbreviated star-laden field in the featured $30,000 Preferred for trotters at the Meadowlands Friday night.
The Trond Smedshammer trainee was in no hurry in the early stages, sitting fifth past the quarter and the half. Heading to three-quarters, driver Scott Zeron put Buen Camino in a perfect spot second-over, getting towed into the race by 8-5 favourite Cruzado Dela Noche, who earlier this year won the $175,200 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial at the Big M.
Leader Muscle M Up opened up some space between himself and the pocket-sitting JL Cruze as he reached three-quarters in 1:23.2 while Cruzado Dela Noche continued to inch his way forward while parked.
At the head of the stretch, Muscle M Up was still a length-and-a-half to the good, but his lead was tenuous as he began to tire. Buen Camino swung around a weary Cruzado Dela Noche with a little more than an eighth of a mile to go as even-money favourite Meladys Monet swung to the far outside after going a third-over journey.
“He’s a classy horse,” said Zeron of Buen Camino. “He’s a big strong horse and I figured he could go with (this field). He exceeded my expectations.”
In deep stretch, it appeared Meladys Money would power by to go on to his fourth straight victory, but Buen Camino was strong to the wire, keeping the favourite at bay for a neck win in 1:52. JL Cruze was third, followed by Trolley, Muscle M Up and Cruzado Dela Noche in the six-horse field.
“I did think Meladys Monet was going to go by,” said Zeron. “He had been winning the opens at Yonkers, but my horse exploded off cover and I just had to keep him on that tempo.”
Buen Camino returned $104.40 to his backers for trainer Trond Smedshammer and owners Purple Haze Stables. The seven-year-old gelded son of Cash Hall-Baby Bella now has 18 wins from 88 career starts, good for earnings of $765,071.
No one selected all of the winners in the 50-cent Pick-5, creating a carryover of $19,326 going into Saturday’s card. The last time there was a Pick-5 carryover, the total pool reached $150,000 (on Oct. 18), and wagering could exceed that figure Saturday, given the four Kindergarten Classic Finals that are on the card that have purses totalling almost $900,000. Those who went four-for-five in the Pick-5 collected $495.55.
(With files from The Meadowlands)