Buddy Hally Upsets At Big M

Published: December 10, 2016 12:21 am EST

Buddy Hally unleashed a vicious first-over push through the last three-eighths of a mile in Friday evening’s co-featured $13,000 fourth-level trotting event at The Meadowlands, putting away Opulent Yankee with ease and evading 2012 Hambletonian winner Market Share for a 1:52.3 triumph.

The six-year-old Angus Hall gelding floated forward in the initial stages, securing a clear tracking spot behind the top pair of Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) and Waiting On A Woman (Joe Bongiorno) through initial splits of :27.2 and :56.2. With seven-sixteenths to go and a gradually advancing Market Share (Tim Tetrick) improving into the mid-division, Corey Callahan angled Buddy Hally first-over, and they accelerated to press immediately, dueling into a joint lead with Opulent Yankee a quarter from home.

Buddy Hally edged clear upon cornering for home, easily powering past Opulent Yankee and holding clear of the chasing Market Share with similar facility, only receiving a few taps of the whip to stay on task for a two-length win. Fashion Creditor (Brett Miller) rallied belatedly down the grandstand side to take third, another 2-1/4 lengths detached.

Dylan Davis trains Buddy Hally—now a 16-time winner—for Howard Taylor and NR Holdings, LLC. The trotter paid $33.20 to win.

In the evening’s other fourth-level trotting event, I C Caviar ($14.40) used similar tactics en route to a 1:53.3 score, angling first-over from just off the front flight up the far side and wearing down 3-2 favourite Wing Flash (Andy Miller) before edging away to evade the second-over Promise Delivered (David Miller) by 2-1/2 lengths.

Brett Miller, who led all drivers with four wins on the evening’s 12-race program, drove the five-year-old Malabar Millennium gelding for trainer Joe Hanney.

Double-digit upsets from Blush Hanover (31-1) and Jacks To Open (25-1) stymied players in the evening’s Late Pick 4 sequence which saw no favourites prevail. As a result, Saturday evening's card will feature a Late Pick 4 carryover of $39,173.27, with the sequence beginning in race seven. The closing-race 20¢ Jackpot High Five sports a hefty carryover as well, now standing at $57,161.17.

Players combined to wager $2,167,514 on the Friday card.

Post time for the first of 13 Saturday events is set for 7:15 p.m.

(Meadowlands)

Tags
Have something to say about this? Log in or create an account to post a comment.