A crowd of 10,118 fans was on hand Saturday night at the Meadowlands to see some very special races.
No, not the Meadowlands Pace. The Hambletonian? Not until August.
The evening featured the fifth annual editions of both the Ostrich Derby and Cameltonian as Buddy Valastro, of TV’s “Cake Boss” fame, marked the event by making a huge confection depicting an ostrich riding a camel. Free pieces of Valastro’s creation were doled out to the crowd.
As for the racing, in the Ostrich Derby, Cats Don’t Zig flew away from the gate and stormed home an easy winner. Where’s Dorinda held off Bird Here by a long neck for second.
The Cameltonian saw another dominant performance as Sandstorm, racing close to the grandstand rail throughout, was clear at the finish by open lengths. Smooty Foots, Ernie Cameldino and Kamel Kardashing finished second through fourth, respectively.
Management at the Meadowlands wanted the racing fans to know how much they appreciated their support on what was a big night at the track, as well as bidding a 'job well done' to all on their staff that helped make the evening happen.
On the track, former Canadian Horse of the Year Michaels Power completed a dominant sweep of the Caramore Series, which had its $22,400 final on the card.
The seven-year-old gelded son of Camluck, driven by Andy Miller and trained by Mark Silva, made the top at the three-eighths before sprinting clear of his foes through the stretch to record a four-plus length win in 1:50. Andwin Hanover was second with Card Shock third. As the 1-9 public choice, Michaels Power paid $2.20 to win for owners Jeffrey and Michael Snyder, and now has 36 wins in 91 career starts, good for career earnings of almost $1.9 million.
The carryovers for the Big M’s two 20 cent Jackpot Super High Five wagers continue to expand. The 5th race wager now has a carryover of $18,995.14 while the 12th race wager’s account has swelled to $261,110.32. Both pots of gold will be up for grabs when the Big M returns with live harness racing Friday at 7:00 p.m.
(with files from The Meadowlands)