The feature race on the Saturday night program at The Meadowlands was the $20,000 B-1/A-2 Handicap Pace. The race favourite was Ultimate Beachboy leaving from the outside post, sent off at odds of 3-2.
Driven by Yannick Gingras, Ultimate Beachboy was asked for speed throughout the first quarter of a mile and cleared the lead nearing that first quarter in :27.1. Gingras and his gelding settled into a high-cruising speed and Ultimate Beachboy reeled off solid fractions, including a :54-second half-mile and hitting three-quarters in 1:22.1. Ultimate Beachboy turned for home clinging to that lead while facing a challenge from the pocket-sitting Capozzo. When it was clear that Capozzo was not going by, a new challenge emerged in the hard-charging Ontario Success, who rallied boldly on the far outside, but narrowly missed to a game Ultimate Beachboy, who completed the mile in 1:49.4 on a cold, windy night in East Rutherford, New Jersey. The win was one of five on the card for Gingras.
Ultimate Beachboy is trained by Ron Burke for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi and M1 Stable and Jack Piatt III.
The Saturday program also included six division of the Dash For The "C" Notes for the pacers. Only a win would guarantee a berth into the $25,000 final next Saturday.
The six winners were: Why Dont U Stay (1:52 - Gingras), Hare Craft (1:52 - David Miller), Hunchie (1:51.2 - Gingras), Rock Star (1:52 - Tim Tetrick), Road Untraveled (1:52.1 - Mike Simons) and Dragon Lore (1:50.3 - Gingras).
Four of the six second-place finishers will make the $25,000 final, drawn by lot. Those six were Jack Attack, Bakersfield, Abelard Hanover, Magic Tricks, Sir Melos Z Tam and New Kind.
Both Jackpot Super Hi-5's went unclaimed Saturday. The fifth race carryover stands at $7,487.21 while the last race carryover grew to $82,698.99.
Racing resumes on Thursday, featuring the first round of the Charles Singer Series. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)