Curbside Pickup used a dimension of his game rarely seen to make it to the winner’s circle at the conclusion of the Thursday, June 11 feature at The Meadowlands, a $22,222 claiming handicap pace for horses in for a tag of no less than $27,778 and no more than $34,722.
Those with programs likely thought they knew where the 7-5 favourite would be early, because Curbside Pickup had been on the lead at the quarter in each of his last four starts. But this time, from post 10 in the 10-horse field, things went differently.
Real Willey (Jonathan Ahle) fired from the rail and led at the quarter in :26.4 while pressed by Gallie Getaway (Patrick Ryder), who took the top briefly before Real Willey retook and led at the half in a quick :54.2. Driver Joe Bongiorno had left the gate hard with Curbside Pickup but had to abort that mission after being pushed four-wide into the first turn, slotting him in sixth and holding position through the midway point.
Heading for three-quarters in 1:23, Real Willey was still on top but was being pressured by Dancing Lew (Vinnie Ginsburg) first-over, who provided a live tow for Chalk Hanover (Brett Beckwith), who towed along Curbside Pickup. Chalk Hanover swung three-wide off his cover coming out of the last turn and was tracked by Curbside Pickup, who picked up the pieces widest of all, sprinting past the field to win by 1-3/4 lengths in a lifetime-best 1:50.2. Uncle Dd (Tyler Miller) rallied for second with Chalk Hanover holding third.
“You know what? Curbside Pickup is actually better from off the pace,” said Bongiorno, who also trains the eight-year-old gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere-Get Lucky. “It’s just, he's got so much gate speed that you kind of get there pretty easily, and a lot of people don't want to move on him.
“But honestly, he's always been better off a helmet, but it's like I said, he’s just a victim of circumstance. Sometimes, he ends up on the front.”
Curbside Pickup now has 18 wins from 140 career starts, good for earnings of $289,154. Owned by Burke Racing Stable LLC and Weaver Bruscemi LLC, the gelding is three-for-16 this season. He returned $4.80 to win.
Driver Brett Beckwith showed no rust in his first night back after spending two months on the shelf after being injured in an April 12 spill at Saratoga, driving four winners on the 14-race program. Bongiorno also had four on the card to tie Beckwith atop the pilot leaderboard. Beckwith and Bongiorno sit one-two in The Big M drivers' standings with 77 and 75 wins, respectively. Bongiorno and Cory Stratton led the trainers with two wins apiece.
There were two carryovers for punters to shoot for on the program. The first was the Early 20-cent Pick-5 (Races 1-5), and the second was the 20-cent Pick-6 (Races 3-8). The Pick-5 carryover of $24,117 enticed players to wager $119,302 of new money into the pool, but after favourites won all five dashes, many people cashed in for the miniscule payout of $11.56. The total pool was $143,420, and winners' odds during the sequence were 3-5, 2-5, 1-2, 2-1 and 2-5.
The Pick-6 had a double carryover of $11,807, which led to $24,250 of new money being wagered for a total pool of $36,057. After a sequence where the winners' odds were 1-2, 2-1, 2-5, 4-5, 5-2 and 6-5, winning tickets were exchanged for $151.28.
Last Saturday, Debbie Little set the record for the biggest-ever “Little’s Late Double” hit, when she cashed in for $868 for a $40 investment. On Thursday, she grabbed another slice of history, becoming just the third Big M track handicapper ever to select 10 winners on a card. Little joins her husband, Dave, and Ken Warkentin as the only three to reach double-digit victories on a single program.
The associate editor and columnist at Harness Racing Update, Debbie, who hosted the simulcast presentation, also gave out the early double, two exactors, and hit with both her best bet (Hiranya N, 8th race, $4.40) and value play (Alwayswithyou, 7th, $7.80). Co-host Annie Stoebe, the trainer of Hambletonian hopeful Diabolic Hill, wasn’t far behind, picking nine winners, including the early double and one exactor.
All-source handle on the 14-race program totalled $1,707,785 USD. Racing resumes Friday at 6:35 p.m. There is no live racing on Saturday due to a World Cup soccer match at New York New Jersey Stadium (aka MetLife Stadium).
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)