East Rutherford, NJ - A
trotting series for older horses memorializing Shiaway St Pat, the winner of
the very first Hambletonian raced at The Meadowlands back in 1981, opens on
Friday night over the same racetrack. The first leg split into two $15,000
divisions, listed as races 2 and 4 on the 10 race card.
Team Miller, trainer
Julie and driver/husband Andy, have a pair of contenders in Opulent Yankee and
Sutton.
Opulent Yankee has been
a model of consistency for owners Little E, LLC, Dave Stolz and Artie Geiger,
earning more than $400,000 on the strength of 22 wins and 59 on the board
finishes in 86 career starts. The now 7-year-old has won 4 of 5 in 2018 and comes
into the series in stellar form. He'll begin from post 2 in the first division.
Sutton was a major
contender in the top Grand Circuit sophomore stakes of 2016, among those a hard
charging third beaten a mere neck in that season's Hambletonian final but
missed the entirety of the 2017 season. Just now on the comeback trail, Sutton
has a pair of qualifiers under his belt including a 1:54 win in the more
recent. He'll be heard form in race 4 as he gets his racing career back on
track for owners Andy Miller Stable and Jason & Douglas Allen from the two
hole.
In keeping with the
dreary weather conditions this spring, the lead promotion is "It's Raining Cash" where host Gary Di Leo will see the
lucky contestants through selecting an umbrella that contains the prize amount.
The way it's been raining around here, the umbrella itself may be prize enough.
All wager guarantees are
in lace, the free program pages for the Late Pick 4 and Super Hi-5
Jackpot (now at an enticing $172,812) are available and Dave Brower's Race Reviews
are yours for a click.
Post time is 7:15 p.m.
