The feature race on Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack lacked a prohibitive favourite, but provided a distinguished and competitive field.
The depth and parody of the $30,000 A-2/A-1/FFA Handicap yielded a 19-1 winner in Road Untraveled, who used every inch of a perfect trip to pull off the upset.
Allowed to settle off the pace by driver Corey Callahan, Road Untraveled found a comfort zone mid-pack through fractions of :26.4 and :54 before getting situated second-over behind Alexie Mattosie through three-quarters (1:21.4).
Road Untraveled turned for home just two lengths off the lead of the 2-1 favoured pacesetter, Emeritus Maximus, and wore down that foe through the stretch to triumph in 1:49.3 for trainer Gail Wrubel and owners Mike Simons and Christopher Giaccio.
The win was one of four on the evening for Rising Star Award winner Corey Callahan. PH Supercam came from last at the top of the stretch to get second, while Emeritus Maximus was a game third. Easy Again was fourth. The first four finishers were separated by just half a length at the wire.
There were two other sub-1:50 performers on the card, as Panesthetic took an $11,000 C-1 event by four lengths in 1:49.3 for new trainer Andrew Harris. The win was one of three on the card for driver David Miller, who also was in the sulky behind the other sub-1:50 winner Dial Or Nodial, as that classy gelding got back to his winning ways, scoring in a $16,000 B-1 event by three lengths in 1:49.4, pacing a :26.1 final quarter while turning for home on the lead.
Total handle for the Saturday program was a hefty $3,279,981, which included a five per cent increase in on-track handle.
Racing returns to the Meadowlands on Thursday night, featuring the first round of the Charles Singer Memorial trotting series, with first-race post time at 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands)