Except for a break two starts back, Rich And Miserable has raced well for some time now without getting a win.
He ended that drought by taking the featured Preferred Handicap for trotters at the Meadowlands on Friday night to end a six-race losing streak. His last win came on Sept. 28 at Yonkers Raceway.
All eyes were on Southwind Chrome early. The 3-5 favourite was assigned post 10 (scratched down to post nine) and was seeking his third straight score against the best horses at the Big M. Driver Dexter Dunn left the gate with Southwind Chrome, but there were leavers to his inside, which pushed him extremely wide into the first turn.
Southwind Chrome settled into an early six-hole and waited for a live tow, which he got from Rich And Miserable before the half after that one vacated the three-hole following the quarter. Longshot Joey Bats (15-1) led the field past the first three calls, but Rich And Miserable was right at his throat on the far turn as Southwind Chrome tipped off his cover to race three-wide.
Southwind Chrome had trouble handling the turn and lost ground for the final three-sixteenths-of-a-mile sprint to the finish, which brought his win streak to an end. Rich And Miserable kept chipping away at the leader’s advantage, finally moving to get a short edge on Joey Bats at the head of the stretch. From there, the four-year-old gelded son of Explosive Matter-Wishful Me extended his lead while keeping a super-game Joey Bats at bay to record a three-quarter-length win in 1:52.1. Cruising In Style, a 60-1 outsider, out-kicked Southwind Chrome – who went well once straightened up – for the show dough.
Rich And Miserable paid $8.80 to win as the second choice in the wagering. Driven by Tyler Buter and trained by his dad Todd, Rich And Miserable – whose last Meadowlands win came on July 20 – now has 16 victories from 45 career starts, good for earnings of $400,422 for owners Buter Farm, Lynette Buter, William Fuhs and Carol Fuhs.
A LITTLE MORE: Driver Yannick Gingras followed up his five-win Thursday with three more on Friday. … Andy Miller, Tyler Buter, Dexter Dunn and Eric Abbatiello had two apiece. … One patron playing into the Ontario hub was the only holder of a 20-cent Survivor Pick-10 ticket to last six legs and collected $9,407. … All-source handle totaled $2,428,157. … Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)