Rollwithpapajoe rebounded in a big way from a sub-par seasonal debut a week ago to win a division of the Wiggle It Jiggleit Series for three-year-old colts and geldings on the pace at the Meadowlands on Friday night.
The Jenn Bongiorno trainee, a tough-trip fifth-place finisher on April 5, came back with a strong mile as Dave Miller moved the son of Roll With Joe-Crazy On You off the rail from fifth at the three-eighths and made steady progress past the half and onto the far turn, trailing leader and 6-5 favourite Actor Hanover by just a head at three-quarters.
Through the stretch, Rollwithpapajoe drew clear over a sloppy track as heavy rains fell. Rollwithpapajoe, who paid $6.80 as the second choice in the wagering, hit the wire 1-3/4 lengths in front of Prince Of Tides in 1:51.3. Sugartown was third.
“That’s the performance from 'Papajoe' that I was waiting for him to show everyone,” said Bongiorno. “This horse has serious speed and ability. Last week, the problem was they walked to the half. Tonight, he showed that he loves his job and wants to win.”
The first of three Wiggle It Jiggleit divisions went to 6-1 chance Rockme Rollme ($14) for driver Marcus Miller and trainer Nik Drennan. Miller dove to the inside in deep stretch to nip even-money favourite Dealers Table at the wire by the smallest of noses in 1:50.4 as Dealers Table saw his four-race win streak come to an end. Stone Hanover was third.
The third and final Wiggle It Jiggleit division went to JK Captain Jack for driver Josert Fonseca and trainer Nancy Johansson. The winner went first-over for a little more than the final half-mile to score by a half-length over Bring The Thunder. Goldberg, the 3-5 favourite, settled for third.
JK Captain Jack paid $13.20 as the second choice in the wagering after completing the mile in 1:52.
The third and final leg of the Wiggle It Jiggleit takes place April 19. The April 26 final will offer a purse of $58,500.
A LITTLE MORE: The fourth edition of the Can-Am Pick-4 saw a total pool of $55,610, and after a sequence saw winners' odds of 5-2, 5-2, 4-1 and 5-2, the return for the wager with the 20-cent base bet was $158.76. … The Meadowlands’ 50-cent Pick-4 took in $95,127 in wagers and those who had horses that went off at 2-1, 4-5, 5-2 and 5-2 walked away with $107.50. … Yannick Gingras drove three winners to up his meet-leading total to 78. … The fifth race 20-cent Jackpot Super High-Five failed to result in a single-ticket winner, upping the carryover to $78,108. … All-source wagering totaled $2,400,551. … Racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)