Onedin Legacy N and driver/trainer Chris Ryder rallied from the far outside to win the first harness race staged on the Meadowlands turf course in more than 30 years Friday night
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A field of eight claiming pacers took to the grass in the $15,000 one-mile test, which had been postponed twice due to rain. Onedin Legacy N sat at the back of the pack as Little Mister (Ron Pierce) led the field through splits of :29.4, 1:00.4 and 1:32. Ryder angled Onedin Legacy N five-wide in the lane and he stopped Rob Us (Andy Miller) by a half-length at the wire in 2:04.1 over a course rated good. Meteor Man (Brian Sears) held third after challenging Little Mister from the outside. Onedin Legacy N paid $15.20 to win the evening's fifth race.
The nine-year-old gelding posted his third win in 19 starts this season for Ryder, who purchased the son of Sir Vancelot from his New Zealand breeders one year ago. Lifetime, he has won 18 of 92 races and $159,793.
While turf racing for standardbreds is a rarity in the United States, it is a more common practice at United Kingdom and Down Under racetracks.
"I'd say five to 10 percent of the races there now are on the grass," noted Ryder, a native of Greymouth, NZ. "It used to be more. Most of the racetracks that have a grass course also have a stone dust main track, and if it rains they move right to it. The races on grass usually go slower, especially if it is soft, but if it is hard they can really go."
The last time the Meadowlands held a turf race for standardbred racehorses was the Coliseum Cup on June 21, 1978. It was a competition amongst racing's Manzi family - patriarchs John Sr., Al and Richard, as well as cousins Steve, Richard Jr., Gary, John and Cat. Richard Manzi Jr. won the race with a pacer named El Nob in a time of 2:09.3.
To view Friday’s harness racing results, click here.
(With files from NJSEA)