by James Witherite, Meadowlands Media Relations
East Rutherford, N.J. -- In the words of Hall of Fame
racecaller Sam McKee on Friday (March 18) night at The Meadowlands, "you
can only hope to contain him." McKee was speaking of driver Scott
Zeron, who captured four races on the 12-race card. Total betting
turnover on the program exceeded $3 million for the fourth consecutive live
racing night, and for the 13th time in the last 14 cards.
Despite two fewer races in comparison to many of the
February cards, total handle for the night's program was $3,059,381, averaging
out to be just over a quarter million dollars per race. On- and off-track
handle alike showed significant increases over those of a snow-laden card on
the corresponding Friday of March 2015.
The 26-year-old Zeron wasted no time in registering his
grand slam, teaming up with the yet-undefeated Ava N Ella ($2.10) in the
evening's second race for a 1:53.2 going-away win, the fourth in the Tony
O'Sullivan trainee's career. The Montréal native continued with a 1:54
triumph aboard Jonas Czernyson trainee Lauderdale ($6.00) in the sixth event
before wins with Not Before Eight ($4.80) and Exquisite Glide ($7.60) in the
eighth and tenth races, respectively.
The featured $12,500 fourth-level trot saw World Cup ($3.80)
take full advantage of a third-over trip, rallying off cover to just prevail
while odds-on. Joe Bongiorno pointed the 7-year-old Yankee Glide entire
into the outer flow as Magenta Man (Andy Miller) engaged Its Payday Friday
(John Campbell) in a middle-half duel. The two battled through a
three-quarter split of 1:25.3, and after cornering 29-1 longshot Watkins (Jim
Marohn, Jr.) tipped off cover to take the lead from a breaking Magenta Man in
mid-stretch. Despite Watkins's best efforts, World Cup was just a bit
quicker one path wider, prevailing in 1:54.3 by a scant head in the last
yards. Its Payday Friday, worn down by heavy mid-race pressure, held
third.
Richard Johnson trains World Cup for Carly Roman.
The evening's top distaff pace, a $12,000 fourth-level
event, went to Purity ($4.40), a pillar-to-post winner in rein to Vinny
Ginsburg. The 5-year-old Always a Virgin mare controlled the terms
throughout her 1:52.2 mile, sprinting off in upper stretch to evade Do Your Job
(Marcus Miller) and Mystical Treasure (Zeron) for her 16th career win.
Joint favorite Mandy's Mattjesty (Bongiorno) failed to finish the race, having
been eased on the backstretch with a broken hopple.
Vinny Fusco, Jr. trains Purity for Michael Casalino, Jr.
A pair of GSY Amateur Series races took place early on the
card, with Tropical Storm Bi ($14.00, Tony Ciuffetelli) and Keystone Thomas
($3.80, Bob Hechkoff) both proving victorious.
Tomorrow evening's 12-race card has a 7:15 p.m. EDT first
post, and the usual $105,000 in guaranteed Pick 4 and Pick 5 pools. The
closing-race 20¢ Jackpot High 5 pool will be buoyed by a $143,778 carryover
should one punter capture the entire pool.
