M1 - The Captain scores a Six-Pack

The weekend for Corey Callahan could not have started any better.  On the eve of his first drive in The Meadowlands Pace, behind Beach Memories, Callahan lit the track on fire in East Rutherford, to the tune of six winners.  In a mid-card interview, Callahan was beaming about the opportunity.  “I have a drive in The Meadowlands Pace, it’s awesome,” said Callahan.  If tonight was any indication, Saturday has the potential to be something special for Callahan, who also drives Golden Receiver, one of the leading contenders in the William Haughton Memorial for the Free-For-All Pacers.

The feature race was leg three of the Miss Versatility, which saw three mares battle right to the wire with the camera unable to separate Maven and Cedar  Dove with Personal Style an inch back in third.

The heater officially kept Maven unbeaten in five 2013 starts, including a potential sweep of the Miss Versatility with one more leg to go at Tioga Downs on August 25 and the final at Delaware on Jug Day. She races out of the Jonas Czernyson barn for owner WJ Donovan and Yannick Gingras has been her pilot throughout.

Cedar Dove, on the other hand, came into the race a month stale and had to overcome a bout with a virus while in Canada. She was winning for the first time this season for Adam Victor & Son Stable and John Fielding. Noel Daley trains and Ron Pierce has been aboard for many of this million dollar winner's career highlights.

As the series moves toward its conclusion, Maven is the point leader toward the $100,000e final.

Total handle for the Friday card was up 38-percent from the same Friday in 2012, with live handle showing a 10-percent gain.  That is great news going into The Meadowlands Pace Saturday program, with weather conditions forecasted to be much better than tonight.  The Saturday Program features The Meadowlands Pace, William Haughton Memorial, Stanley Dancer Memorial, Del Miller Memorial, Mistletoe Shalee and four New Jersey Sire Stakes Championships on a blockbuster 14-race program.  The Late Pick 4 Saturday night carries a $100,000 Guaranteed Pool, covering races 7 through 10, ending with The Meadowlands Pace.  Post time for the Meadowlands Pace program is 7:15 P.M., with Meadowlands Pace post time at 10:40 P.M.