Dave Miller didn’t want it to go this way, but at the wire he was just fine with it.
Binge On Yankee, not known for his early speed, displayed plenty in the featured $27,397 high-end conditioned pace on Saturday night, April 13 at The Meadowlands, and led every step of the way while equalling his lifetime best of 1:49.2 that he established two weeks earlier at the mile oval.
“I thought he’d get covered up by one of them,” said Miller. “But we got away pretty soft with a :28 quarter and we were just going along pretty easy there. I was looking to get tripped out. I didn’t know how he’d be on the lead.”
Now, he knows.
A four-year-old gelded son of Stay Hungry-Bootleg Yankee, Binge On Yankee reached the half in a tepid :56.1 after securing the lead from post nine in the nine-horse field midway around the first turn. The rated opening half proved to be the end, given that the Ron Burke trainee uncorked a back half in :53.1 to win rather easily.
“He felt real strong,” said Miller. “The fractions weren’t hard at all. I got his plugs out [in the stretch] and he set sail.”
The pocket-sitting Huntinthelastdolar looked good in his seasonal debut for second, finishing a length behind. Combustion, the even-money public choice, rallied some after a second-over trip but provided no peril for the eventual winner while finishing third.
Binge On Yankee upped his lifetime stats to eight wins from 31 starts, good for earnings of $127,390 for owners Burke Racing Stable, Brad Grant, Larry Karr and Weaver Bruscemi.
Jacks Shadow N delivered a second consecutive powerhouse performance in the $27,397 Play Meadowlands Series final for pacers who were non-winners of $10,272 in their last four starts.
One week after taking the series’ final preliminary in a sparkling 1:50.4, he came back Saturday with an even more impressive lifetime-best-equalling 1:50.1 clocking. The 10-year-old gelded son of Shadow Play-Lets Go Cullen took over the top at the half in :55.1 before pacing his back half in :55.
Jacks Shadow N returned $3.20 as the 3-5 favourite while winning for the 39th time from 145 lifetime starts for trainer Scott DiDomenico. He now has earnings of just over $380,000.
“He was very quirky in his younger days,” said winning driver Tim Tetrick. “But he’s always had a lot of talent. He’s a good horse.”
Tetrick and Scott Zeron led the driver colony with three winners apiece. Linda Toscano and Scott DiDomenico topped the trainers as each took a pair of walks down victory lane.
Wagering on both 50-cent Pick-4s topped $100,000 USD, as a total of $209,599 USD was bet on the Big M’s most popular multi-leg puzzle. The Early Pick-4 returned $275.50, while the Late Pick-4 came back $1,227.30.
All-source betting totalled $3,212,263 USD, marking the 25th time from 29 race cards that handle exceeded the $3 million USD mark during 2024.
Racing on resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from The Meadowlands)