Lukes Bar is a lightly raced five-year-old who is starting to put it all together. The gelded son of Bar Hopping-Lukes Sophie won for the second time in his last three starts on Friday night at The Meadowlands, taking the $25,362 featured high-end conditioned trot in 1:55.2, equalling the lifetime best he established two starts ago.
“Off a helmet or on a helmet, he gives you a good effort,” said winning driver Patrick Ryder. “He gave me a good run in the stretch.”
Unhurried at the start, Lukes Bar sat fifth to the half after 4-1 third choice Pisces Rising hit the quarter in :28.4 and half in :58.1. Over a track playing to closers, Ryder activated Lukes Bar with a half-mile to go and steadily made his way toward the leader racing uncovered on the rim.
The eventual winner was up to Pisces Rising’s wheel at three-quarters, which was timed in 1:26.4, and with the entirety of the stretch still to come, Lukes Bar had no trouble wearing down Pisces Rising to win by 1-1/4 lengths. The pocket-sitting 5-2 second choice, Rocket Man Hill, out-kicked Pisces Rising in the race for place.
“I knew I didn’t want to be on the front,” said Ryder. “My options were mid-pack or move to the front. I was at the mercy of the pace they were going. I pulled him at the half because I was afraid they were going a little slow. I wanted to keep David [Miller, driving Rocket Man Hill] in the two-hole.”
Lukes Bar, who is trained by Patrick’s dad, Chris, returned $3.60 to win as the 4-5 public choice. He now has four wins from 13 career starts, good for nearly $130,000 in earnings. He is owned by Anthony Timmins of Birmingham, Great Britain.
In addition to guiding the winner of the feature, Ryder made two other winner’s circle visits, which included 40-1 shot Make It Big in the 14th race finale.
Brett Beckwith tied atop the driver colony with three of his own winners on the program, giving the 22-year-old 2024 Dan Patch Rising Star Award winner 15 over the last five cards. His 32 victories have him tied atop The Big M standings with Jason Bartlett.
Winning players in the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 had big smiles on their faces after exchanging their tickets – with six winning selections – for $5,288.82 after a sequence that had winners' odds of 11-1, 3-1, 7-2, 9-2, 5-1, 4-5 and 3-1.
All-source handle totalled $2,753,001 USD on the 14-dash card.
Racing resumes on Saturday at 6:20 p.m. as International Women’s Day will be celebrated at The Big M. An all-female broadcast crew will cover the action all night long and the fifth race is a one-mile dash that will feature all women drivers.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)