by James Witherite, Meadowlands racing
media
Windsun Glory, Crosbys Clam Bake repeat
in Big M co-features
East Rutherford, N.J. – Windsun Glory
($4.00) and Crosbys Clam Bake ($5.80) controlled the terms in their respective
featured events and held all comers at bay to score repeat wins on Friday
(December 30) evening at The Meadowlands.
In the $18,000 featured distaff pace,
carded as race six, Windsun Glory lived up to even-money billing and captured
her ninth career win, also her third in four starts. After she was looped off
the gate by Inittowinafortune (Corey Callahan), Joe Bongiorno pressed the
3-year-old Mach Three filly to the fore to clear at the completion of a :27.2
first quarter mile.
Despite first-over pressure from
Delightful Dragon (Marcus Miller) through the middle splits of :55.3 and 1:24,
Windsun Glory would not relinquish control, edging clear off the far turn and
maintaining 1-1/2 lengths of clearance while driven out to a 1:53 triumph.
Delightful Dragon maintained second narrowly from Truth and Liberty (Kyle
DiBenedetto), who sustained belated gains after angling off fourth-over cover.
Ron Burke trains Windsun Glory for the
Burke Racing Stable, the Weaver Bruscemi partnership, the J & T Silva
Stables, and Larry Karr.
The seventh-race top-level conditioned
trot, also carrying a purse of $18,000, saw Crosbys Clam Bake make every yard a
winning one, coasting through splits of :28 and :57 before parrying a stern
first-over challenge from Classical Annie (Marcus Miller) through the last
five-sixteenths of the mile. Jim Marohn, Jr. urged the 6-year-old Kadabra
gelding to edge away in the final sixteenth to secure a 1:55.3 victory by 2-1/4
lengths.
Waiting On a Woman (Vinny Ginsburg)
protected second from his pocket trip, and Classical Annie held third after
leveling off. Second favorite Kelsey’s Keepsake lost all chance after breaking
stride on approach to the first turn.
Crosbys Clam Bake earned his 31st
career win for trainer Andy Federico and owners Randy Bendis, Jack Piatt, II,
and Tom Pollack.
Total handle for the 12-race card was
$2,955,888.
A 13-race New Year’s Eve program closes
out 2016 at The Meadowlands; post time is 7:15 p.m. Eastern.
