Driver Joe Bongiorno captured both featured events on Friday (December 2) evening’s 12-race card at The Meadowlands, teaming up with Windsun Glory ($4.00) in the $15,000 top distaff pace and B Yoyo ($4.00) in the $17,500 trotting feature.
In the distaff feature, carded as the night’s seventh race, Bongiorno put Windsun Glory into play from the outset, pushing clear of early pacesetter Bullville Maggie (Brett Miller) upon reaching the backstretch. The three-year-old Mach Three filly kept up a strong pace throughout, controlling a :56 first half-mile before repelling a stiff first-over challenge from Better Said (David Miller) and kicking on to put four lengths on the field at the end of a 1:51.1 mile. Bullville Maggie held second from her pocket trip, while Shutthefrontdoor (Andy Miller) rallied off third-over cover to take third from the flattening Better Said.
Ron Burke trains Windsun Glory for the Burke Racing Stable, the Weaver Bruscemi partnership, J&T Silva Stables, and Larry Karr.
Bongiorno employed different tactics in the top trotting event, carded as race 11, sweeping from last with B Yoyo to pass every other horse in the race in the final five-sixteenths of the mile. The six-year-old Striking Sahbra gelding dropped to last immediately as Classical Annie (Tim Tetrick) sought control of the terms and rated uncontested fractions of :28.3, :57.2, and 1:25.3. With three-eighths to go, B Yoyo angled second-over behind Rock Of Cashel (Corey Callahan), advancing with live cover off the far turn before accelerating down the grandstand side in the final eighth and striking the front in the last 40 yards to prevail by the better part of a length in 1:53.4. Classical Annie maintained second, while the out-kicked Rock Of Cashel stayed on for third-place.
Richard Johnson trains B Yoyo for Bill Lambos and Dionisios Liberatos.
The night’s Pick 5 returned a healthy $4,697.40, and the early Pick 4 paid $3,902.80, buoyed by wins from Rockers Alley (18-1) in race three, Clear View Hanover (11-1) in race five, and Fox Valley Steffen (21-1) in race six. In all, players combined to wager $2,399,971 on the 12-race card.
Live racing returns to the Big M on Saturday (December 3), with the first of 13 races due off at 7:15 p.m. Eastern time, and the last-race 20-cent Jackpot Super High Five carryover now standing at $49,833.70.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)