Madelines Blk Jack used a ferocious final quarter to take the Saturday night (Feb. 25) feature at The Meadowlands, a $21,000 high-end TrackMaster 91 Pace.
The five-year-old gelded son of JK Endofanera-Honeys Luck raced in the outer flow third over past the five-eighths before swinging into the four path for the stretch drive, and used a final quarter of :26.2 to record his 12th win from 53 starts. The mile time of 1:50.4 equalled the Andrew Harris-trainee’s lifetime best. A gallant My Pal Joe, who never saw the rail from post 10, finished 1-1/4 lengths back in second. Mysweetboymax was third.
“We ended up third-over,” said winning driver Andy McCarthy. “It was a flowing kind of trip. He ended up racing really well. He’s a pretty big horse so he didn’t agree with racing at Yonkers [finishing seventh there in his last start]. It just worked out for us.”
As the 22-1 ninth choice in the wagering, Madelines Blk Jack returned $47.40 to win.
GINGRAS’ GREAT EIGHT: After winning five times on the Friday card, Yannick Gingras made three more visits to the winner’s circle Saturday, giving the 43-year-old Hall of Famer eight winners for the weekend, making him odds-on to win a second straight Driver of the Week Award.
Dave Miller actually led the driver colony on Saturday, scoring four times on the program.
15-FOR-15: The Meadowlands’ streak of betting over $3 million on Friday and Saturday nights during 2023 remained unblemished after $3,555,885 was pushed through the windows on the 14-race card.
Thus far this year, there have been 15 programs contested on Friday and Saturday nights, and each one has seen wagering go past the $3-million mark.
A LITTLE MORE: There were no winning tickets sold in the 20-cent Pick-6, creating a carryover of $7,627 for the next time the bet is offered, which is Friday’s eighth race. Those with five correct collected $154.46.
Next week, International Women’s Day will be celebrated on Friday and Saturday, with Saturday offering a pair of races featuring all female drivers.
Racing resumes on Friday (March 3) at 6:20 p.m. (EST).
(The Meadowlands)