Rising MVP let In Secret do the heavy lifting on the front end, and then roared from the pocket to defeat him and capture his second straight in Friday’s $16,000 Open Handicap Trot at The Meadows.
Rising MVP stretched In Secret to a :27 first quarter in the slop before releasing him, setting up the decisive stretch drive. When Aaron Merriman asked him for trot, the six-year-old My MVP-Nutmegs Winner gelding had plenty of it, downing In Secret by a half-length margin in 1:53.3. Icanflylikeanangel completed the ticket.
Bill Daugherty, Jr. trains Rising MVP, who triumphed for the 32nd time in his career and pushed his lifetime bankroll to $341,017, for Susan Daugherty.
Mike Wilder collected four wins on the 13-race card, including a pair for trainer Scott Betts.
Saturday’s program at The Meadows features the $99,370 Currier & Ives for three-year-old trotters (race 5) as well as a $10,899.15 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5. First post is 12:45 p.m.
(Meadows Standardbred Owners Association)