Driven
by Andy Miller, Helios assumed command on the backstretch, rebuffed a challenge
from Volare De Vie at the head of stretch and held that foe at bay all the way
to the wire to score in 1:56.1. Next up, The Super Bowl series.
Helios’
trainer Julie Miller said via interview on the in-house broadcast that she was “very
happy with him (Helios) tonight and getting this race over the track should set
him up nicely for The Super Bowl.” The Super Bowl series gets underway
Thursday, January 10th.
That
interview was courtesy of the Meadowlands new roving camera that has provided
on the fly interviews in the back paddock and up close shots of the horses
competing. It is receiving race reviews in the industry.
Despite
Helios’ popular win in the Pick 5 sequence, thanks to a pair of longshots,
there were no winning pick 5 tickets, resulting in a carryover of $20,240.51
into the Saturday program. Last week’s carryover of $16,769.68 resulted
in a Saturday pool of $75,421, despite a nasty winter storm. With better
weather forecasted, the Pick 5 pool could reach $100,000 Saturday night.
It
was another huge night at the betting windows for the Meadowlands. The
total handle for the 11 race program of $2,836,916 surpassed this Friday night
in 2012, which handled $2,166,584. An increase of $670,332, or 31%.
Without
question the classified system is providing exciting, more
competitive racing that the bettors are responding to. In addition, the
new post time and wagering format have been contributing factors to the early
season success.
Racing
returns Saturday with post time at 7:15 P.M. A Presidential Preview in
the first Free For All of the meet headlines a great 12 race Saturday card,
featuring a $20,240 Pick 5 Carryover.
