The Friday Night Trotting
Feature at The Meadowlands was a $30,000 B-1/A-1/FFA event featuring Melady's
Monet, who entered the contest off back to back wins. He would get a
challenge from Tirade Hanover who entered the featured trot off a monstrous win
in a $40,000 Four Year Old Open on Breeders Crown Saturday, where he won
despite being parked the mile. Sent off as the 2-1 second-choice from
post 8, Melady's Monet tracked the cover of 8/5 favorite Tirade Hanover while
racing third over through fractions of 27.3, 56.2 and 1:25, before exploding in
the stretch to score his third consecutive victory for Kevin McDermott.
The margin of victory was not nearly as comfortable as his two previous wins,
this time scoring by just a nose over the upset-minded Upfront Billy who
narrowly missed at 60-1. Waiting On A woman was third.
The winner was driven to victory by John Campbell for Melady Enterprises LLC of Pompano Beach, Florida.
The $20,000 B-2/B-1 Handicap for mare pacers saw Mattie Terror Girl get back to her best form, winning for the seventh time this season in 1:51. Mattie Terror Girl, who raced very well against the best Free For All mares earlier in the year, earned the confidence builder for Scott Zeron, giving him a driving double. Tony Alagna trains the mare for Big Als Stables Inc., of Woodbridge, Ontario, Canada.
In other action, Martini With Muscle was a sharp winner in a non-winners of 3 trotting event in 1:55 for Yannick Gingras, who had a driving double and trainer Christopher Freck. Martini With Muscle spent much of his three year old campaign facing the best of the sophomore trotting division and appreciated the class relief for owner Douglass B. Hutchins.
The most impressive win on the Friday program came in race 8, a C-1 pace for Fillies and Mares, where newly acquired That Woman Hanover, a $55,000 purchase at the Harrisburg Mixed Sale for Henrik Lundell and the Joi De Vie Farm soared to an impressive 1:50.2 lifetime best performance, winning by open lengths. Lundell noted prior to the race in a paddock interview with Wendy Ross that "this filly is in a much softer spot this week and I think she will race really well tonight." He couldn't have been more right.
