Hugadragon showed yet again he’s the sharpest pacer at The Meadows currently as he won his fifth straight race — the last three from Post 8 or 9 — in Tuesday’s $22,500 Winners Over $10,000 Life/Preferred Handicap.
Dave Palone hustled Hugadragon to the front from Post 9 in a demanding :26.1, but the five-year-old Dragon Again-Hip Huggers gelding had little trouble from there, scoring geared down in 1:50.3. It was the fourth straight outing in which he was ahead at every pole. The pocket-sitting Hickory Big Red was second, with Object Of Art third.
Ron Burke trains Hugadragon, who now boasts $929,134 in career earnings, for Burke Racing Stable LLC. It was one of five wins on the 15-race card for Palone.
Elsewhere on the program, freshman filly Broadway Socks won at first asking in 1:57.3 to become the fastest two-year-old trotter (regardless of gender) in harness racing this season on a five-eighths-mile track. Dan Rawlings drove for trainer David Wade, who owns the daughter of Broadway Hall-I Gotta Feelin with Gerald Brittingham and William F. Peel III.
On Wednesday, The Meadows will kick off a three-day celebration culminating with the track’s 50th anniversary on Friday, June 28. The festivities — which begin at 6 PM Wednesday, Thursday and Friday — include a cookout in the Miller Tent, music from the 1960s and videos of Meadows “magic moments” on the infield matrix board. In addition, fans will participate in “1963 Trivia,” with hats, tee shirts, concert tickets and 1963 track photos as prizes, and each fan will receive a special Golden Anniversary Commemorative Journal produced by the Keystone Chapter of the United States Harness Writers Association.
First post Wednesday and Thursday is 6:55 p.m. while Friday’s card begins at 8:20 p.m. — the post time of the Opening Night card.
(The Meadows)