by
James Witherite, Meadowlands Media Relations
East
Rutherford, N.J. – After Scott Zeron’s grand slam on Friday, driver Anthony
Napolitano one-upped his youthful rival on Saturday (March 5) evening at The
Meadowlands, winning five of the 13 races.
After
a pillar-to-post win in the opener with Sweet Justice ($10.80, 1:55.2), the
34-year-old Napolitano prevailed with odds-on favorite Honey I’m Home ($3.40,
1:52) in the third before back-to-back minor upsets in the seventh and eighth
with K Slater ($19.80, 1:52.2) and K-Lees Shakenbake ($15.80, 1:50.1)
respectively. Napolitano closed the night on a winning note, teaming up
with Alex Bullville ($5.20, 1:53.4) in the finale.
In
the featured $25,000 Open Handicap Pace, Rockeyed Optimist ($3.00) lived up to
odds-on billing, holding off a ferocious late rally from Dovuto Hanover for a
1:50.2 triumph. The 5-year-old Rocknroll Hanover gelding floated into
midfield from his outside post in the sextet, settling four lengths behind
early pacesetter Real Nice (Anthony Napolitano) through a :27 first quarter
before Andy McCarthy brushed Rockeyed Optimist to the fore up the
backstretch. Rockeyed Optimist’s lead was never in jeopardy until the
final sixteenth, as 3-1 second choice Dovuto Hanover (Scott Zeron) surged off
the cover of Take It Back Terry (Joe Bongiorno) to give chase. Rockeyed
Optimist had enough left to hold sway, prevailing by a diminishing half
length. Take It Back Terry, who flattened off the far turn, found more in
the stretch, saving third.
Steve
Elliott trains 17-time winner Rockeyed Optimist for Anthony Perretti, Virginia
Berkner, the A and B Stable, and Joseph Battaglia. For Rockeyed Optimist,
it was his second win in three starts this season.
Total
handle for the 13-race card was $3,015,013, marking an increase of $41,167 over
the corresponding Saturday in 2015 and the tenth program in the last 11 at The
Meadowlands with over $3 million in betting turnover. Racing
continues to be competitive in northern New Jersey, with 17 of 26 favorites
defeated in the first weekend of March.
Heading
to next Friday’s (March 11) program, over $124,500 will carry over into the
final-race 20¢ Jackpot High 5. Punters and horsemen alike are reminded
that post time at The Meadowlands shifts to 7:15 p.m. Eastern effective next
week.
