The last time Rich And Miserable won at The Meadowlands was almost a year ago on December 20 when he scored at the mile oval in 1:52.1. Until Friday night, that is.
Hall of Fame driver David Miller guided Rich And Miserable to a perfect pocket trip on the way to scoring in The Big M’s Friday night feature, a $21,000 high-end conditioned trot.
The Todd Buter trainee shipped in from Yonkers, where he had finished seventh and sixth, respectively, in his last two starts. The change in scenery was just what the doctor ordered.
Miller had the gas pedal down early from post position seven in the 10-horse field and settled into a pocket trip just behind 9-5 favourite JL Cruze after the quarter was timed in :27.1. Deltasun A, in search of a second straight score in the weekly feature, went parked down the backside while applying pressure to the pacesetting favourite as Miller and Rich And Miserable sat chilly in the pocket.
On the far turn, Deltasun A had had enough, backing through the field as they neared three-quarters, which was timed in 1:24.2. In typical Miller fashion, he stayed patient and did not tip out of the two-hole until there was a little more than a sixteenth of a mile to go and easily went by JL Cruze to record a two-length win in 1:52.3.
Cue Hall kicked past JL Cruze late to get the place spot.
“I was a little surprised at how well he raced,” said Miller. “I didn’t think his last few lines looked too good, but Todd [Buter] said the track over there was hurting him. Tonight, the trip worked out great. We came out of the hole and he was powerful.”
Rich And Miserable, a five-year-old gelded son of Explosive Matter-Wishful Me who is owned by Buter Farm Inc., Lynette Buter, William Fuhs and Carol Fuhs, paid $10.20 to win as the second choice in the wagering in winning for the first time at The Big M in his last six tries. Lifetime, he has 23 victories from 65 starts and earnings of $473,486.
A LITTLE MORE: David Miller had a good night, and so did Marcus Miller. Marcus’ fans cashed in for some serious Christmas green after the 31-year-old pilot scored with 34-1 shot Life Well Lived in the fourth race and 39-1 bomb Mr Disomma in the 12th. … Marcus’ score in the 12th led to a 20-cent Pick-6 carryover of $6,205. As a result, Big M management has put a $15,000 guarantee on Saturday’s Pick-6 pool. Last week, a carryover-fueled Pick-6 ended up paying more than $14,000. Free past performances for the Pick-6 are available at playmeadowlands.com. … Dexter Dunn and Yannick Gingras both recorded driving triples on the card. … All-source handle totaled $2,489,847. … Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)