Stepping up into the $16,000 conditioned pacing feature on Saturday, Dec. 1, K Ryan Bluechip emerged victorious in a 1:50.2 mile at the Meadowlands.
Maroma Beach, sent the 8-5 favourite, hit the quarter first in :27. K Ryan Bluechip, fourth in the early going, was up to engage the leader at the half in :55 and the pair continued to battle to the three-quarter mark in 1:22.4.
But instead of caving after going first over, K Ryan Bluechip ventured forward and powered away from Maroma Beach through the stretch to record a one-and-a-half length win. Tact Tate N rallied for second while Maroma Beach settled for third.
K Ryan Bluechip, who paid $7.00 to win as the third choice in the wagering, is trained by Virgil Morgan Jr., was driven by Brett Miller and is owned by Carl Howard and Brian Witt. The six-year-old son of Art Major-Fool That I Am won for the sixth time in 30 starts this year and snagged his 29th victory in 96 starts overall, accruing $368,804 in earnings.
A LITTLE MORE: All-source handle on the 12-race card was $2,113,898, the fifth-straight Saturday where wagering topped the $2-million mark.
The 50-Cent Pick-4 pool came close to reaching six figures for a second-straight Saturday, coming up just short at $98,454.
Driver Corey Callahan had three winners on the program while Mike Merton, Brett Miller and Dexter Dunn had two apiece.
The Big M’s schedule will change slightly for the month of December as the track will add Thursdays to its race week effective immediately with the usual 7:15 p.m. post time. Take note that there will be no live racing on Saturday, Dec. 15 with the New York Jets hosting the Houston Texans at MetLife Stadium.
(With files from the Meadowlands)