by James Witherite, Meadowlands Media Relations
East Rutherford, N.J. -- On a night where 10 of 14 favorites
were handed defeat, punters combined to wager $3,035,296 on Friday (January 29)
evening's harness racing program at The Meadowlands, with a near steady stream
of minor upsets yielding generous dividends throughout.
The first such minor upset came in the evening's second
event--the featured $25,000 Open Handicap Trot, as Can Do ($14.20) sprinted to
the fore and never looked back. Anthony Napolitano sent the 7-year-old
Cantab Hall gelding right to the front, establishing a clear lead on the first
turn while 6-5 favorite Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) was hard used to secure
the pocket from his outside post assignment. Can Do rated a moderate
:56.2 initial half before facing stern first-over pressure from Uva Hanover
(Tim Tetrick) on the far turn. The two dueled through a :28.2 third
split, but Can Do maintained the upper hand, edging clear off the corner and
eluding pocket rival Opulent Yankee by three lengths for a 1:53.2 victory, his
second in three starts. Uva Hanover flattened to finish third, while Detroit
Rapper (Jim Marohn, Jr.) made a mild bid off cover to save fourth.
Jody Riedel owns and trains Can Do, now a 31-time winner.
The sub-featured fourth race, a $15,000 trotting event for
horses which have not won six races or $100,000, saw Ron Burke trainee Its Huw
You Know ($11.20) score in pillar-to-post fashion as well, rating sensible
fractions before drawing off to a four-length win in 1:56.1. Yannick
Gingras drove the 4-year-old Holiday Road gelding for the Burke Racing Stable,
Mark Weaver, and Mike Bruscemi.
While four of the first five races were won by horses on the
lead or drafting in the pocket, the streaking Magenta Man ($9.20) bucked that
trend--and altered his own tactics--in the $10,200 sixth race, capturing his
third straight win in second-over fashion after prior pacesetting and pressing
triumphs, just nosing out longtime leader T Js Mr Lavec in 1:54.3. Andy
Miller once again drove the 4-year-old Muscles Yankee gelding for trainer Julie
Miller and the partnership of Little E, LLC and RBH Ventures, Inc.
Both 20¢ Jackpot High 5 wagers will carry over to Saturday
(January 30) evening's card, as neither was captured by a single player.
Saturday's seventh race High 5 will offer $13,418 in added money should a
single winner emerge, while the finale will boast a carryover of $69,103.
First post for Saturday's 14-race card is 6:35 p.m. Eastern time.
