by James Witherite, Meadowlands Media Relations
East Rutherford, N.J. -- Recent harness racing programs at
The Meadowlands have been full of upsets, and Friday (February 19) evening's
14-race card was no different. Only three favorites proved victorious,
and of the 11 non-favorites to prevail, Crosbys Clam Bake ($19.20) kicked clear
authoritatively in the night's featured $25,000 Open Handicap Trot--his second
such win of the meet.
Competitive racing and healthy dividends--including a
$12,520 trifecta headed by 19-1 outsider Montalbano Bi in race
five--incentivized punters to wager a total of $3,201,415 on Friday (February
19) evening's harness racing program at The Meadowlands, marking a sixth
straight card with over $3 million in all-sources handle.
In the night's featured event, Crosbys Clam Bake ($19.20)
emerged out of traffic in mid-stretch, going away to a 2-1/4 length victory in
1:53.2. The 6-year-old Kadabra gelding was hemmed in at the pegs by
first-over challenger Opulent Yankee (Andy Miller) on the far turn as lukewarm
3-1 favorite B Yoyo (Joe Bongiorno) controlled the terms, only finding room in
the final 150 yards as he wedged between the laboring pacesetter and a
one-paced Uva Hanover (Tim Tetrick) before kicking clear. Can Do (Anthony
Napolitano) mounted a stand-side rally to take second, while Rock of Cashel
(Brett Miller)--the middle cog in a chain reaction which forced Cash Me Out off
stride--rallied off cover to take third after forced to check by Opulent Yankee
just inside the eighth pole. Opulent Yankee, while fourth past the post,
ultimately was relegated to last for impeding multiple rivals in mid-stretch
given the interference suffered by Rock of Cashel and subsequently Cash Me Out.
Yannick Gingras drove Crosbys Clam Bake for trainer Andy Federico
and owners Randy Bendis, Jack Piatt, II, and Tom Pollack.
The sub-featured $15,000 trot for non-winners of six races
or $105,000 saw Magenta Man ($10.60, part of entry) earn his fifth consecutive
win, grinding down Axios (Austin Siegelman) from first-over and subsequently
just staving off late charges from Charles VII (Marcus Miller) and Forever As
(Tetrick) for a 1:54.3 triumph. Andy Miller drove the 4-year-old Muscles
Yankee gelding for trainer Julie Miller and the partnership of Little E, LLC and
RBH Ventures, Inc.
Total handle saw an increase of $873,898 from the
corresponding Friday in 2015, with gains both on- and off-track.
Meanwhile, just yards from the track, a capacity crowd packed Victory Sports
Bar to the brim for the first over Men of Playgirl Male Revue at The
Meadowlands.
Tomorrow (February 20) evening's 14-race card features
$105,000 in guaranteed Pick 4 and Pick 5 pools throughout the card, along with
a $102,355 carryover in the last-race 20¢ Jackpot High 5 (the largest jackpot
carryover currently up for grabs in North American harness racing) and $31,156
added money in the seventh-race High 5. Post time is 6:35 p.m. Eastern.
