Bettors Edge, usually utilizing his high gate speed to battle on the front against the top stock at the Meadowlands, raced from off the pace in the $20,000 Preferred Pace Saturday, March 10 and claimed his first victory of the season.
Rodeo Romeo sped to the top at the quarter in :26.4 before 3-5 public-choice Awesomeness, in search of his third-straight win, made his way to the point just before the three-eighths. The favourite hit the half in :55.1 as Bettors Edge started his uncovered march toward the leaders from the back of the pack.
Rodeo Romeo, sent off at 15-1, popped out of the pocket on the far turn to challenge Awesomeness and had a nose in front as they turned for home, while Bettors Edge picked up that cover.
Driver Brett Miller then tipped Bettors Edge wide with an eighth of a mile to go and blew by the dueling leaders to win by a half-length in 1:50.1. Awesomeness held second with Western Fame finishing third in his first start of the year.
“It was a great audible on Brett’s part,” said winning trainer Jennifer Lappe on Miller's decision to not leave the gate. “And when he got away last I knew my horse was going to love it. It was a refreshing change for him. He’s been used hard in all of his starts since the layoff and all he needed to do was race with a breather early.”
Bettors Edge, returning $13.60 to win as the fourth choice, competes for owners Lappe and Robert Santagata. Lifetime, the nine-year-old gelded son of Bettors Delight has won 37 of 164 starts.
A LITTLE MORE: Great Vintage, driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by Jimmy Takter, took the seventh race conditioned pace in 1:49.2, which equaled the second-fastest North American mile of the year. Only Major Uptrend has gone faster with a 1:49 clocking at Dover Downs on Feb. 15.
The Pick-4 pool surpassed the $90,000 mark for a third-straight Saturday, with a pool of $91,904. After a sequence that included a pair of favourites, the payout was $351.40 for a 50-cent bet.
The Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High Five failed to result in a single-ticket winner, upping the carryover to $139,614.
All-source wagering totaled $2,875,940, the second highest handle of 2018.
Racing resumes at the Big M Friday at 6:35 p.m.
(With files from the Meadowlands)