The Friday night feature at The Meadowlands was a $20,000 B2/B1 handicap won by Quick Deal in 1:51.4.
Now six years old, Quick Deal still struggles with clean starts, but when he gets away on the trot he is deadly. Driven for the first time by Ake Svanstedt for Meadowlands leading trainer Ron Burke, the win was the back end of Svanstedt’s catch-driving double for Burke. Quick Deal went straight to the front and shook off a middle half challenge from Lauderdale through honest numbers of :27, :54.4 and 1:23.4. Once clear of that rival around the final bend, the final quarter was an in hand :28 flat sprint for the winner.
Our Horse Cents Stables and Rossie Smith have endured the peaks and valleys associated with sharing the ownership of Quick Deal -- tonight was a peak. The former $1,000 yearling has earned well in excess $300,000 in his racing career with tonight’s mile a career-best.
Supporting the feature trotting event was a B2/B1 handicap for filly and mare pacers that came down to the wire with just a nose separating Icommandmysprirt and Monochromatic in the win photo. In the end, it was Icommandmyspirit earning her third consecutive victory for trainer Chris Ryder, driven to victory tonight by Scott Zeron.
The winner made an early lead pressing passed the quarter as Simple Saver N conceded the lead through a :26.3 opening split. Monochromatic then moved her way to the lead, hitting the half-mile in :54.1. Soon after, the early leader Simple Saver N made her second move to the lead as the action really picked up and tripped the three-quarter timer in 1:21.4. From there, the battle was on as the three mares lined up across the track down the stretch. Eventually it was Icommandmyspirit and Monochromatic left to decide the winner, with Icommandmyspirit wearing down her rival to score in a very sharp 1:50.1. Simple Saver N dug in gamely and was just three-quarters of a length back in third, with Mattie Terror Girl rallying well to finish fourth.
The three-peat winner is owned by Cheryl Costello.
Saturday night at The Meadowlands is sure to be one of the more exciting evenings of the summer in East Rutherford, New Jersey. On the racing front, the 13-race Saturday program features the New Jersey Sire Stakes Championships for three-year-olds as well as a select field in the Free-For-All Handicap Pace. For entertainment, The Meadowlands proudly presents Jerseyfest, a night long party featuring music, food trucks, games and more. Also making an appearance Saturday night is Victor Espinoza, who one week from now will make his run at the Triple Crown as the jockey aboard California Chrome in the Belmont Stakes on Saturday, June 7. Espinoza will be signing autographs and California Chrome posters will be given out beginning at 6 p.m. for those seeking Espinoza’s autograph in this rare opportunity to possess a piece of Triple Crown history. Post time for the Saturday program is 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)