With the most recent ‘nor'easter’ in the rear-view mirror, the forecast is friendly for live racing at the Meadowlands Racetrack to return with twin 13-race cards on the menu for Friday and Saturday.
No fewer than nine trotting races will populate Friday's offering, and the featured $20,000 Preferred Handicap trot has been carded as Race 2.
Last Friday's program of racing at the Meadowlands was cut short due to a winter storm. The ‘Big M’s seven-horse Preferred this Friday looks an awful lot like the field that had been drawn last week.
Gural Hanover (PP7, Yannick Gingras) and Opulent Yankee (PP6, Andy Miller) will make up the favoured entry. The duo has been coupled for wagering purposes due to the common ownership of Jeff Gural's Little E, LLC.
Gural Hanover is closing in on $1 million in career earnings for Gural and partners Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi and Panhellenic Stable and will be making his 2018 debut. Ron Burke conditions the seven-year-old son of Crazed who prepped with a sizzling 1:53 qualifier two weeks ago.
Opulent Yankee already has a pair of wins and a second in three tries thus far in the new year for trainer Julie Miller. The seven-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding races for Stolz and Geiger as partners with Little E and recently eclipsed the $400,000 mark lifetime for his connections.
Gonna Fly, Rossini, Fashion Creditor, LMC Mass Gem and Meladys Monet will provide the competition.
The Meadowlands is offering guaranteed horizontal pools, free program pages on the Big M website and $126,952 in the Jackpot Super Hi-5 pool to generate interest.
Post time is 6:35 pm.
(With files from the Meadowlands Racetrack)