East Rutherford, NJ --- Thursday night's
(Feb. 16) Meadowlands card was carried over intact from last week when Winter
Storm Niko forced cancellation of the live racing program.
Featured are a pair
of finals of the short "Racing for G-Notes" overnight series for
trotters and pacers, races seven and eight on the card. Both will be a part of
the live TV broadcast on the SNY television network.
Trotters are up first
going for $15,000 and trainer Patti Harmon holds a very strong hand with a
powerful pair of 6-year-old geldings that are coupled as a pari-mutuel entry.
Montalbano Bi is
experiencing a career renaissance since being paired with young driver Drew
Monti by winning both preliminary legs of this series in the 1:55 range,
flirting with his career mark taken at age three. He's drawn post five in the
final for owner Joel Kahan.
The other half of the
Harmon entry is Detroit Rapper, a long-timer in the barn, owned by the Harmon
family. Detroit Rapper has been on the board in all three 2017 starts but
clearly last week's was his best effort of the season. He came from well back
for driver Jimmy Marohn Jr. to be second, closing with a :28.2 final quarter on
the 1:55.4 final time.
The pacers go for
$12,500 in their final and the only leg repeat winner in the field is Mr Big
Load. Trainer/driver Billy Mann has had the 6-year-old gelding razor sharp
throughout the series with a dominating 1:52.1 win last week. If Mr Big Load
can hold his form for one more week (well, two more weeks as it turns out), he
could very well bring home the top prize to owners Friendship Stables.
Thursday is another Fan
Appreciation night with $1 hot dogs and $2 beers.
Post time is 7:15 p.m.
