Heading into the Saturday, May 10 feature at The Meadowlands, the headlines were all about Antognoni S, the standout from the Ron Burke barn who was seeking a seventh straight score to get ready for next week’s $175,000 USD (est.) Arthur J. Cutler Memorial.
Apparently, Aetos Kronos S forgot to read the paper.
A nine-year-old son of Bold Eagle-Will Of A Woman, Aetos Kronos S was the last one to the lead in the $34,722 Winners Over Handicap Trot for driver Dexter Dunn, and hit the wire a 1-3/4-length winner in 1:51.3, a lifetime best.
There was plenty of action early, as Celebrity Bambino (David Miller), Sir Pinocchio (Jason Bartlett) and Aetos Kronos S all left the gate alertly, leaving 6-5 favourite Antognoni S (Yannick Gingras) to race at the back of the pack.
Sir Pinocchio led at the quarter in :28 with the speedy Lexus Kody (Scott Zeron) alongside second to challenge and take over the lead. The shuffle continued as Outside The Fire (Todd McCarthy) grabbed the top while parked at the half in :55.3.
That’s when the race took on a drastically different look, as Antognoni S went on a break, the first time he’s gone off stride this year after staying flat in his first nine outings.
Enter Aetos Kronos S, who tracked Outside The Fire before moving to the lead as they hit the far turn. He passed three-quarters with a 1-1/2-length edge in 1:23.2. There would be no more lead changes, as Aetos Kronos S reported home an easy winner after racing clear on the point through the lane. S I P, a 76-1 longshot, rallied furiously to get second and complete an all Marcus Melander-trained exacta. Lexus Kody was third.
“He’s getting better with every run,” said Dunn. “We made a move down the back and he was really strong tonight. When you’re racing trotters like that, you always have to be worried [in the stretch], but he was really trotting strongly right to the wire. He’s in good form and we are looking forward to [the Cutler] next week with him.”
After winning for the second time in three tries this year for owners Jeffrey and Michael Snyder, Aetos Kronos S lifted his lifetime stats to 21 victories in 65 tries, good for earnings of $1,413,377.
As the 9-5 second choice, he paid $5.60 to win.
The second leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes (NJSS) for three-year-old pacers was comprised of three dashes – two for colts and geldings and one for fillies – that each went for a purse of $34,722.
In the first division for males, one week after getting nipped on the wire, Manolete (Cattlewash-Glancewithme) made amends with an easy score after going a pocket trip for driver Scott Zeron and trainer Bruce Saunders. He completed the mile in a lifetime-best 1:50.3 and returned $2.80 to win as the 2-5 favourite.
Smooth Dream (Cattlewash-Dreamlands Latte) stayed perfect in four seasonal starts by recording a fourth dominant win in the other division for males. Todd McCarthy handled the Noel Daley trainee, who moved to the top on the way to the five-eighths before drawing off to an easy score in 1:50.4. As the 1-5 public choice, he paid $2.40 to win.
Reckless Abandon (Cattlewash-Reclamation) used a well-timed move on the way to a narrow victory in a lifetime-best 1:50 in the split for fillies. Todd McCarthy opted to vacate the pocket at the five-eighths and went around leader Shesgotthejack before prevailing after a stretch-long battle with 3-2 favourite Worklifebalance by a head. Reckless Abandon paid $7.40 as the 5-2 third choice.
Dexter Dunn and Todd McCarthy were the driving stars of the night, as each recorded four winners. Mike Russo led the trainers with two walks down victory lane.
There were no winning tickets sold on the 14th race Hi-5 (or Pentafecta, if you prefer), creating a carryover of $11,399 for Friday’s 14th dash.
All-source betting on the 14-race program totalled $1,868,276 USD.
Racing resumes on Friday at 6:20 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)