By Dave Little,
Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –
On another competitive evening of racing that saw several staple wagers come
back with big payouts, speed horses reigned supreme at the Meadowlands Friday,
taking the track’s three featured events, all of which had the condition of
non-winners of $11,500 in their last five starts, while leading at every call.
The first of the
wire-to-wire victors was Scirocco Jakob for driver Billy Dobson and trainer Gregory
White. After starting out at 15-1 on the morning line, the 6-year-old gelding
trotted the mile in 1:55.1 and returned $17.20 to win as the 7-1 fifth choice
in the wagering.
Know It All, with
driver-trainer Eric Abbatiello, took the fillies and mares pace in 1:53.1. The
7-year-old mare had been facing better stock at Yonkers in recent tries and
took well to the class drop, returning $10.40 to win.
In the second division
for trotters, Montalbano Bi held on by a nose over a fast-closing Fleet
Bumblebee in 1:55.2. The 6-year-old gelding, driven by Jim Marohn Jr. and
trained by Patti Harmon, returned $5.20 as the public choice.
The Pick Five wager
sported a total pool of $49,622 and when the dust cleared after Race 7, the
winning combination of 6-3-9-2-5 returned $31,656.15 for a wager of 50 cents.
The 20 Cent Survivor Pick 10 had a pool of $21,546 and two lucky patrons walked
away with $9,152.72. The Pick Four attracted $81,043 in wagers, and after two
favorites, a 4-1 shot and a 6-1 chance won races eight through 11, the payout
for 50 cents was $420.10.
A LITTLE MORE: Andy Miller, Dobson, Abbatiello, Greg Merton and Marohn all recorded driving doubles. … Chalk players had a nice night as six post-time choices scored on the program. … All-source handle on the 14-race card was $2,516,597. … The Late 20 Cent Jackpot Super High Five carryover grew to $61,900.15 when the wager failed to result in a single-ticket winner. … Racing resumes Saturday night with another 14-race program that gets underway at 6:35 p.
