Pick 10 survivor debuts and returns $298 to 33 winning tickets
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ (November 4, 2017) – When you’re hot, you’re hot, and
nobody cut through the chilly 40-degree November air like Andrew McCarthy on
Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
McCarthy won three of the four Kindergarten Classic Finals on the opening night
of the Fall/Winter Meet at the Big M.
McCarthy kicked off his streak in the $198,000 filly trot by changing tactics
with Hey Blondie, who had not shown any gate speed in her previous races,
including a fifth-place finish in the Breeders Crown Final last week at Hoosier
Park.
“I post paraded her tonight and she felt great so I thought I would take a shot
and leave out of there with her,” explained McCarthy. “I didn’t want a slow
middle half and have to come first over so I just decided to take a shot and
race her from the front. She has always been strong at the end of the mile.”
Hey Blondie held off favored Basquiat to win in 1:53.4 with Dab Hanover third.
McCarthy struck again in the $214,900 Colt Trot with 7/5 favorite Tito. The Erv
Miller-trainee battled some sickness in July, but has rounded back in to form
and scored the richest win of his young career in 1:55.
Tito will next be pointed to the Valley Victory, part of the Fall Final Four at
the Meadowlands with finals on November 25.
The most drama of the night came in the $150,000 final for the pacing colts and
geldings. Points North, a Pinske Stables homebred by Somebeachsomewhere out of
the family’s Northwest Hanover, held off the late kick of longshot
Fashiononthebeach to win in a lifetime-best 1:51.1.
“He’s really good in the stretch,” said McCarthy. “He’ll keep fighting when
you’re driving on him. He started a little slow and he has matured as the
season has gone on. I figured there would be a big first eighth of a mile. I
had to pull him and in the stretch he dug in.”
The most impressive performance of the night came in the filly pace where
Kissin in the Sand made up for her disappointing Breeders Crown elimination
with an eye-popping score in her $140,550 final.
Kissin in the Sand and Yannick Gingras parked out second-choice I’m Trigger
Happy through matching opening quarters of :27.1. I’m Trigger Happy wilted from
that taxing half mile while Kissin in the Sand continued on her speed mission.
She polished off a lifetime-best 1:50.3 effort with a :27.3 last quarter to
hold safe from runner-up Reign on Me.
It was 1/5 of a second off the track record set by JK She’salady, the 2014
Horse of the Year, trained by Nancy Johansson.
“She’s a little more high strung and difficult, but they’re both fast,” said
Johansson when asked to compare the two fillies. “She’s been very special from
the beginning. Training down she showed a lot of speed but she was always
quirky, but the first time we brought her to the Meadowlands she was
professional and handled her business. She was very impressive and I don’t
think it took anything out of her.”
The highly-anticipated Pick 10 Survivor made its debut on Saturday and handled
$11,600. With a tricky early sequence of winners, 33 tickets survived through
the first four races and received a payout of $298.66.
Live racing resumes next Saturday with a 7:15 p.m. post time.
For more information, visit www.playmeadowlands.com.
