After an alert getaway, driver Tyler Buter guided Sevenshadesofgrey to an off-the-pace win in the Friday night, Dec. 27 feature at The Meadowlands, a $18,571 conditioned event for trotters.
As the 2-1 favourite in the 10-horse field, Buter and Sevenshadesofgrey fired from post position seven and were parked out challenging early leader Beacon Beach. Buter backed his horse off and wedged his way into the two-hole as Beacon Beach was on the point at the quarter in :27.
Dribbling Bi was on the go next, grabbing the lead at the half in :56.1 as Sevenshadesofgrey was content to sit the three-hole from there.
Heading to the five-eighths, Abruzzo, the slight 2-1 second choice, was moving well first-over and pressing Dribbling Bi as three-quarters went in 1:25.2.
For the stretch drive, Beacon Beach vacated the pocket to go after the duelling leaders, affording Sevenshadesofgrey an opportunity to duck to the inside, close with crisp trot, grab a short lead nearing the finish and just hold off a stubborn Abruzzo by a neck in 1:54.2, a lifetime best for the six-year-old gelded son of Chapter Seven-Ms Naughty. Dribbling Bi held third.
“The horse has good gate speed, so you usually try to use that if you can,” said Buter. “We were lucky to get a good spot early. The inside opened up, so it couldn’t have worked out any better.
“It was tight up the backside [so I decided to stay along the inside]. It would have been tight if I did try to come off the rail, so you just kind of have to take it as it comes and figure it out from there.”
A Ricky Bucci trainee, Sevenshadesofgrey returned $6.20 to win while upping his lifetime stats to 15 wins from 127 starts, good for earnings of $491,904 for owners Flatland Racing.
There were no winning tickets sold on the 20-cent Pick-6, creating a carryover of $4,434 for Saturday’s card. Those with five correct collected $27.46.
Vinny Ginsburg, Joe Chindano Jr. and Johnathan Ahle led the driver colony with two winners apiece. Joe Bongiorno was the top trainer with two walks down victory lane.
All-source handle on the 14-race card totalled $2,534,880.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. with the track's final card on the 2024 calendar.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)