Trainer Ake Svanstedt had a pair of aces heading into Friday night’s featured conditioned trot at The Meadowlands, and, not surprisingly, his duo finished 1-2 as Rattle My Cage bested Delayed Hanover in a lifetime-best equalling 1:51.3 in the $18,500 event for non-winners of four on the trot.
Shinkansen, a 29-1 longshot, led the field past the quarter in :27.4. Soon thereafter, Yannick Gingras moved Rattle My Cage, the 6-5 second choice, to the top, leading at the half in :55.1 as Svanstedt, driving Delayed Hanover, the 6-5 favourite by less than $100 in the betting, was content to sit in the four-hole. Rattle My Cage accelerated to lead by two lengths at three-quarters (1:23.4) and expanded his edge to 4-1/2 at the head of the stretch on the way to a dominant 4-1/4 length score. Delayed Hanover rallied well for second, never threatening the winner after sitting well off the leader to three-quarters. Fast As The Wind, the 2021 Kindergarten and Valley Victory champion, closed superbly for third in his three-year-old debut.
A four-year-old son of Love You-Caress The Senses, Rattle My Cage, who missed a neck to Sonofamistery in his seasonal debut last week, returned $4.40 to win in registering his fifth lifetime score from 20 starts. He now has earnings of $126,779.
Brothers Todd and Andy McCarthy wore out a path to the winner’s circle on Friday. After taking the 13th and final dash at The Meadowlands with Wickedly Innocent, Todd, 29, finished his night at The Big M with three winners while older brother Andy, 36, scored twice.
Earlier in the day, both steered five to victory lane at Harrah’s Philadelphia, giving Todd eight winners on the day to Andy’s seven.
There were no winning tickets sold in the 20-cent Pick-6, creating a carryover of $6,167 for the next time the wager is offered, which will be Saturday’s eighth race. Those with five correct collected $739.52.
Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.
(Meadowlands)