After a narrow defeat at the same level two weeks ago, Michael Polansky's Waiting On A Woman took advantage of a pocket trip, out-sprinting pacesetting favourite Opulent Yankee to the winning post for a 1:52.2 triumph in Friday evening's $25,000 Open 1 Handicap Trot at The Meadowlands.
Flanked by Stirling Cadet and Opulent Yankee at race's outset, Corey Callahan used Waiting On A Woman to secure the top spot on the first turn, yielding to 7-5 public choice Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) after completing a :27.2 initial quarter mile. Locked in by the first-over and mildly pressing Can Do (Anthony Napolitano) through middle sectionals of :55.3 and 1:23.3, Waiting On A Woman found clearance in the final 150 yards as Can Do stalled, angling off the pegs and vaulting clear of Opulent Yankee by 2-1/4 lengths with a :28.2 closing quarter. Stirling Cadet (Marcus Miller) stayed on for third off his tracking trip, while Uva Hanover (Jim Marohn, Jr.) skimmed the pegs to take fourth after a rearward journey.
Kyle Spagnola trains the 51-time winner, who returned $6.60 to win as the second favourite.
The sub-featured $20,000 Open 2 Handicap Trot saw owner-trainer Mark Ford's It Really Matters stun at 20-1, holding off a belated charge from the odds-on Lindys Tru Grit to narrowly prevail in 1:54.2.
After securing a second-over position on the first turn, It Really Matters continued to the fore well after March Awareness (Yannick Gingras) assumed command after a :28.3 first quarter, racing wide for seven-sixteenths of the mile before ultimately working clear. The four-year-old Explosive Matter gelding raced strongly through a :55.4 middle half, doing well to hold the first-over Massacaia (David Miller) at bay while main danger Lindys Tru Grit (Andy Miller) lurked from five lengths away off his third-over trip. Upon cornering, Anthony Napolitano asked It Really Matters for everything he had left, and the pair braced for the oncoming onslaught of the four-wide Lindys Tru Grit and five-wide Detroit Rapper (Marohn), both of which kicked cover and chased valiantly. It Really Matters, all-out in the final sixteenth, held sway by a scant neck, while Lindys Tru Grit in turn just held second from Detroit Rapper. Massacaia leveled off late but still held fourth.
Friday evening's 14-race card attracted a total handle of $2,856,634, with the evening's three guaranteed Pick 4 and Pick 5 wagers garnering $162,142. The overall figure represents a $155,255 gain over a 13-race card on the comparable Friday in 2014.
Looking ahead to Saturday's program, the fifth race Jackpot High-5 will have a carryover of $8613.26, while the same 20-cent wager in the closing race will boast $37,847.62 added money should one player take down the entire pool.
The first of 14 races on Saturday evening is due off at 7:00 p.m.
(Meadowlands)