All it took for Franco Totem N to get back to the winner’s circle was a little class relief, and on Saturday night (Nov. 28) at The Meadowlands, he showed his class in taking the $21,000 featured pace for non-winners of $14,000 in their last five starts.
The gelded son of Changeover-Treaty Franco last won when in at this level on Oct. 24. Three solid outings (two fourths and a second) would follow at the non-winners of $20,000 level, which prepped him perfectly for Saturday night.
In the early going, the "Nifty" Norman trainee sat third before vacating the rail and going after leader B Stoney. Franco Totem N led at the half in :55 while parked before settling on the point. De Los Cielos Deo, the 8-5 favourite who was seeking his fourth win in five tries, came calling first-over approaching and around the far turn, but never got close enough to make Franco Totem N sweat, as the Dexter Dunn-driven seven-year-old hit the wire one-and-a-half lengths to the good in 1:49.3 after coming home in :26.4. De Los Cielos Deo held second with Mindtrip rallying for third.
Owned by Enzed Racing Stable and Jerry Kovach, Franco Totem N returned $7.60 as the second choice in the wagering. He now has 26 wins from 88 career starts and earnings of $226,130.
PROLIFIC PAYOFFS: One shrewd player betting into the Elite Turf Club hub had him or herself quite a night, calling out the only winning ticket in the track’s 20-cent Pick 5, and walked away with a giant payout of $55,157.16.
The key to victory was 75-1 shot Quagmire Bluechip, who scored in the fourth race. The winner’s odds for the sequence were 9-2, 5-2, 4-1, 75-1 and 7-2, as none were sent to the gate as the betting favourite.
The 20-cent Pick 6, which had a carryover of $5,214, ended with a total pool of $32,358. Despite a sequence that saw favourites win legs five (4-5) and six (6-5), only two sharp handicappers hit the wager for $14,143.12. The first four legs saw winner’s odds of 9-2, 7-1, 5-2 and 6-1.
Another multi-leg wager that yielded only one winner was the 20-cent Survivor Pick 7. Betting into the Oregon hub, they held the only ticket with the first five winners of the sequence and cashed for $7,930.54. Once again, Quagmire Bluechip provided the boost to the payoff.
A LITTLE MORE: Dexter Dunn led the driver’s colony with three winners.
Dave Miller had a second consecutive driving double.
All-source wagering totaled $2,667,691, the fourth straight Saturday where wagering exceeded the $2.5-million mark.
Racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m. (EST).
(The Meadowlands)