By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Ariana G made
her return to the races a winning one, scoring in the first of two divisions of
the first leg of the Graduate Series for 4-year-old trotters Saturday night at
the Meadowlands.
The 2017 Hambletonian Oaks and
Breeders Crown champion was ready to go in her first start as a 4-year-old off
a pair of solid qualifiers, marching up to the top just after the quarter,
which went in :27.3.
Bill’s Man, the 9-2 second choice in
the wagering, came after the leader as he made progress up the backstretch and
got into striking position at three-quarters, but Ariana G had been able to
rate the middle half in :57.2, leaving her plenty for the stretch drive. After
trotting her final quarter in :27.1, she hit the wire
three-quarters-of-a-length in front of Dunbar Hall, who had explosive late trot
after going a third-over trip. Yes Mickey, one of only three horses to defeat
Ariana G a year ago, finished third.
“(Driver) Yannick (Gingras) said she
was loaded,” said winning trainer Jimmy Takter. “But I’m always nervous when my
horses make their first start of the year.”
He needn’t have been.
As the 2-5 favorite, Ariana G
returned $2.80 to her backers for owners Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. She
trotted the mile in 1:52.1 and now has 22 wins from 27 lifetime starts and
earnings of $1.89 million.
The second Graduate division saw a
thrilling stretch duel go to Achille Duharas, who nailed International Moni by
a nose on the wire in 1:52.2.
Making his first start of the year,
International Moni was sharp, working out an inside trip and looking like a
winner in deep stretch, but the Toronto invader Achille Duharas ($8.20 to win),
with Jody Jamieson driving, got up as they hit the finish. Lord Cromwell was
third.
A LITTLE MORE: The total wager of $2,172,322
represented a 25 percent decrease from the corresponding card from a year ago.
A total of only 83 horses participated on Saturday’s program, an average of 8.3
per race for the 10 races. Last year, 112 horses were spread over 12 races, an
average of 9.3 per race. … One lucky simulcast player in Toms River, N.J. raked
the pot in the 20-Cent Survivor Pick-10. After surviving nine legs, he or she
walked away with $15,257. … Harness racing’s biggest pot of gold got a little
bit bigger. The Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five failed to result in a
single-ticket winner, bloating the carryover to $233,359. … Racing resumes at
the Meadowlands Friday at 7:15 p.m.
