Trainer Julie Miller's stable accounts for the morning line favourites of both Open Trots on Friday (December 18) evening's 14-race card at the Meadowlands Racetrack, and over $150,000 in guaranteed pools and carryovers await punters on a card that boasts 10 and 11-horse fields all around.
The featured $25,000 Open 1 Handicap Trot is carded as the evening's eighth race, coinciding with the start of a $50,000 guaranteed Late Pick 4. Julie Miller will send out 5-2 morning line favourite Opulent Yankee from Post 7 for the partnership of Little E, Geiger, Settlemoir, and Stolz. The four-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding is rounding into form, most recently chasing Handover Belle in last week's Open after emerging out of traffic a quarter mile from the winning post. Andy Miller will once again drive the eight-time winner. Among Opulent Yankee's toughest competition are Waiting On A Woman (Post 5, Corey Callahan), a winner of two straight upper-level events for trainer Kyle Spagnola before a game defeat at this level last week; top-level Philadelphia shipper and Ron Burke trainee Appomattox (Post 6, Yannick Gingras); and Crosbys Clam Bake (Post 9, Scott Zeron), who sprung a 29-1 upset over Open foes for the Andy Federico stable a fortnight ago.
A sub-featured $20,000 Open 2 Handicap Trot is scheduled two races earlier, and Miller trainee Lindys Tru Grit was assigned Post 10 after a lengthy stakes campaign through the summer and fall months. The five-year-old Cantab Hall horse qualified sharply last week after a two-month layoff, sprinting off to defeat Crazshana by over 11 lengths in a 1:54.4 mile. Andy Miller handles the driving duties of the 2-1 morning line favourite for the Lindy Racing Stable and Robert Rudolph. Like his stablemate later in the evening, Lindys Tru Grit will have to tackle a fit Burke trainee invading from Harrah's Philadelphia in March Awareness (Post 7, Gingras).
In addition to the standard $105,000 in guaranteed pools throughout the evening's Pick 5 and twin Pick 4s, both Jackpot High-5 wagers bring carryovers into Friday's card. In the fifth race, the 20-cent wager carries a $7,181.28 progressive jackpot, while $34,296.44 will be added to the 14th race pool should a lone winner emerge.
First-race post time for Friday's program at the Meadowlands Racetrack is 7:00 p.m. (ET).
(Meadowlands Racetrack)