Resolve To Win used an aggressive drive from Jason Bartlett to overcome post 10 and take the Saturday, Nov. 29 conditioned feature at The Meadowlands, a $34,722 TrackMaster 90 event for trotters.
Despite having not raced since mid-September, the five-year-old gelded son of Resolve-Sensual Hall used a blinding burst of early trot to clear the top and reached the quarter in a taxing :27.3. Bartlett was then able to back down the second fraction to :29, as he and his partner reached the half in :56.3.
The Jeff Cullipher trainee was moving right along down the backstretch with his stablemate, Outside The Fire (Jonathan Ahle), sitting in the two-hole. Chuckthemillionair (Kyle DiBenedetto) was now on the move and trying to threaten the leader while racing uncovered, but he couldn’t provide much of a challenge as Resolve To Win hit three-quarters in 1:26.
Outside The Fire tried in vain to come after his training partner (the pair qualified together on Nov. 22) nearing the wire, but he failed to menace as Resolve To Win finished the job with a 1-1/4-length score in 1:53.3 to win for the 25th time from 85 lifetime tries.
Bartlett was unconcerned about the 11-week layoff.
“[Resolve To Win] was really good in the qualifier," he said, referencing the winning 1:55 effort on Nov. 22. "He’s so quick-footed out of the gate. I got a good spot and I know [Outside The Fire] loves a target, but my horse is a really good little horse. I knew they were both similar as far as how good they would be.”
The betting public was also unconcerned, sending Resolve To Win to the gate as the 2-1 favourite in the field of 10, and his backers were rewarded with a $6.20 win payoff. The winner, owned by Pollack Racing LLC, now has earnings of $448,910.
Oakwood Heymiki Ir registered his fifth win in his last six starts in the top pace, a $24,306 high-end conditioned event, with a sharp 1:49.4 mile.
The five-year-old gelded son of Always B Miki-I Got Rhythm swung three-wide off cover at three-quarters and charged home to the tune of a :26 kicker to hit the line three-quarters of a length in front of the pocket-sitting Sugar Man (Brett Beckwith). Bondi Lockdown A (Brad Chisholm) was third.
“[Oakwood Heymiki Ir] exploded off a helmet tonight,” said winning driver Tyler Buter. “He’s a super nice horse. I’m sure he’s going to get his chance against better horses [down the road].”
The Robert Cleary student produced the sub-1:50 mile on a cold night, with a real-feel temperature of one degree, and returned $2.40 as the 1-5 public choice. He is owned by Royal Wire Products Inc.
After winning six races on the Friday card, Mark Herschberger was at it again, leading the driver colony with four victories on the 14-race program to finish the weekend with an even 10.
A carryover of $3,381 coaxed players to wager $30,318 of new money into the 20-cent Pick-6 pool, and after a gettable sequence with winners' odds of 1-5, 7-2, 2-1, 3-5, 1-5 and 3-1, those with winning tickets collected $122.38. Patrons emerged from their post-Thanksgiving slumber ready to play, as all-source betting totalled $3,024,364 on the card.
Racing goes back to a three-day-a-week schedule when live action resumes on Thursday at 6:20 p.m.
(The Meadowlands)