Off a highly successful month of March which saw average nightly handle top $3 million, business remained brisk at The Meadowlands on Friday (April 1) as the $3-million barrier was busted for the fifth time in 2022, with all-source action on13-race card totaling $3,067,418.
Wagering has hit its stride at the mile oval, as five of the last 10 race cards have seen total play clear the $3-million hurdle.
A total of $305,569 was bet on the first race and then evened out a bit before the seventh race started a seven-race run where action was more than $250,000 four times. The last four races of the night saw $1,057,060 pushed through the windows on a night when play remained steady from start to finish.
WATCH ME NOW N IMPRESSES: So the trip was less than ideal. That did not matter a bit in the $27,500 feature as Watch Me Now N beat up on six overmatched foes in her first appearance on the track in more than three months.
Having been assigned post seven in the seven-horse fillies and mares winners over $50,000 lifetime, driver Dexter Dunn left the gate with the six-year-old daughter of Hes Watching-Mach N Elle but there was no spot at the rail for the Tony Alagna trainee around the first turn, so she roughed it first-over past the quarter before accelerating to the top while parked at the half in a snappy :54.3 on a typically chilly and windy early spring evening in Northern New Jersey.
Dunn continued in high gear with Watch Me Now N, who last raced in the TVG Mares at The Big M in late November before a pair of qualifiers at the end of March. They proved to be more than enough to prepare her, as she drew clear by four lengths at the head of the stretch before reporting home a five-length winner in 1:51.3, one-fifth of a second faster than her most recent qualifying effort on March 26. Annabelle Hanover went a big mile to get second while Dbldelitebrigade N finished third.
Watch Me Now N, who took her lifetime mark of 1:49.3 last year at The Meadowlands, returned $2.40 to win as the heavy 1-5 favourite and now has 11 wins from just 26 career starts, good for earnings of $143,359 for owners Curtin ANZ Stables.
THE STREAK LIVES: Driver Yannick Gingras had only one drive on The Big M card before heading over to Yonkers Raceway to compete in the Matchmaker Series, and he made it count.
The 42-year-old Hall of Fame-bound pilot guided Dayson to victory lane in the first race, extending his streak of winning at least once on all 22 race cards conducted at The Meadowlands in 2022.
A LITTLE MORE: It was a good night to follow the picks of Big M handicappers. Jessica Otten gave out Statesman N, who paid $30.60 in the fifth race, and not to be outdone, track announcer Ken Warkentin tabbed Ideal Classic ($62.80) in the 11th plus the Exacta ice cold ($291.00). Dave Miller led the driver colony with three victories. Ron Burke trained a pair of winner’s circle visitors. Live harness racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(Meadowlands)