Emeralds Legacy enjoyed comfortable fractions on top but still had to dig in to preserve his victory in Thursday’s $29,041 Open Handicap Trot at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows.
After Emeralds Legacy quarter-poled to the point, Dave Palone gave him a :29.3 second-panel breather. The five-year-old Father Patrick-Devilish Emerald-gelding was unchallenged until mid-stretch when John Dutton and Ahundreddollarbill took their shots. Emeralds Legacy held off John Dutton by a head in 1:53.2, with Ahundreddollarbill third.
Scott Betts trains Emeralds Legacy, who boosted his lifetime bankroll to $269,684 for Tim Betts, Nick Catalano, Keith Pippi and Shanamphilaniklou.
Ronnie Wrenn Jr. collected three wins on the 13-race card, including a pair for trainer Ron Burke.
Elsewhere on Thursday’s program, driver Chris Shaw enjoyed his first win since being sidelined by multiple serious injuries in a Sept. 28, 2021 race mishap. Shaw has been carefully picking spots for his return, with only 17 purse starts this year. His win Thursday was with Roger Hammer’s four-year-old trotter Battin Athousand.
The Friday, May 17 card at The Meadows features a pair of stakes for three-year-old filly pacers: a $140,422 USD Pennsylvania Sire Stakes and an $80,000 USD PA Stallion Series event. Freshman champ Geocentric will make her seasonal debut in the sire stakes, leaving from post one in race eight for Tim Tetrick. First post is 12:45 p.m.
(With files from Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)