First leg Charles Singer Memorial Series winners Trouble and Connie Lauxmont squared off in the second round of the series on Thursday night with the former putting an end to the latter's four-race win streak
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The series, featuring two $12,500 splits on Thursday, is for three-year-old trotters that are non-winners of two extended pari-mutuel races or $30,000 lifetime as of Dec. 20, 2011.
Favourite Connie Lauxmont, driven by Brian Sears, was looking to make it five wins in a row as he led the field through fractions of :28.4, :59.2, and 1:28.4, but Trouble and driver Andy Miller shook loose late and came charging home from the three-hole to score by a nose in a career-best 1:57.1. Racintowardadream and Tim Tetrick closed from the back of the pack to show, just a head behind.
Trouble is trained by Julie Miller and owned by the Andy Miller Stable Inc. and George Brennan Inc. The second choice paid $4.40 to win for the second time in six career outings.
The other division went to the popular Mans Treasure, a runner-up to Connie Lauxmont in the opening leg, and Tetrick in a career-best 1:58.1. The Sjs Caviar-Americas Treasure gelding was a wire-to-wire winner by nearly three lengths, returning $4.20 to his backers for a $2 win ticket. Don Niccum trains the winner of three races in six starts for owner-breeder Robert Key.
Four $12,500 second leg divisions of the Rags To Riches Series were also held on Thursday night for pacers three years old and up who started for a base claiming price of $10,000 or less once in their last four starts up to Jan. 20, 2012. Sears and trainer Nat Varty doubled up in the leg with first round champ Colonel Moffitt ($5) scoring in 1:51.1 and Ontario-owned Rockin Glass ($4.60) winning in 1:52.4. The other divisions went to another repeat winner, Oscar Oscar ($3.80), in 1:51.1 for team Miller and the Quebec-owned Alastair Hanover ($10.60) in 1:52.1 for Tetrick and trainer Newton Sheridan.
To view results for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Results – Meadowlands Racetrack.