In Saturday's featured $18,000 conditioned pace, stakes winner Rockin Ron tuned up for Yonkers' Levy Series with a powerful win in 1:51.4 over The Meadowlands specialist City Hall.
Joe Bongiorno settled the 8-5 favourite in mid-pack as City Hall set the pace in search of his seventh straight Meadowlands victory. After three-quarters in 1:24, Bongiorno had Rockin Ron perfectly positioned in the second-over spot. Bongiorno tipped the Ron Burke trainee three-wide into the stretch and Rockin Ron powered home with a :27.3 last quarter to win. City Hall held second with Rodeo Romeo third.
Rockin Ron has won 22 times from 59 starts with earnings of $591,488. He holds the rare distinction of having defeated the great Wiggle It Jiggleit twice last season in the Confederation Cup and the Prix D'Ete.
The five weeks of Levy Series preliminaries begin next Saturday, March, 18, with each race in each leg worth $50,000.
Leading driver Brett Miller scored four wins, including two for Amber Buter, to give him nine for the racing week. Jim Marohn Jr. and Patti Harmon teamed up for a pair of wins.
More than $200,000 in new money was wagered into the Meadowlands' Pick 5 on Saturday night thanks to a carryover of $38,069. The sequence proved to be rather formful with four of the five winners paying $6.40 or less. The one trickier horse for handicappers was Millenium Wheel, who won the fourth race at 7-1 odds. The winning combination returned $213.70 to 780 winners.
Total handle on the 12-race card was $2,784,638.
Racing resumes next Friday as two-day race weeks begin.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)