By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – After
finishing a solid second and third, respectively, in his two preliminaries,
Mike’s Powerhouse upped his game Saturday night, saving his best effort for the
Caramore Series Final, winning the $20,850 feature at the Meadowlands for
non-winners of $20,000 in 2018 on the pace.
Driver Vinny Ginsburg, who won three
races on the evening, put the 6-year-old gelded son of Camluck on the lead
around the first turn from the rail and hit the quarter in :26.2. The eventual
winner got a :57.3 breather through the middle half as Rockinwiththebest, the
slight 3-2 favorite, popped out the four hole at the three-eighths and inched
his way toward the leader on the rim.
But Mike’s Powerhouse brought just
enough through a final quarter of :26.4 to hold off the late-charging Astor,
who finished a neck back. Rockinwiththebest held on for third. Byby Landon, the
slight 3-2 second choice, was blocked in the pocket and had to settle for
fifth.
Mike’s Powerhouse returned $11.80 to
win as the third choice in the wagering and completed the mile in a
lifetime-best 1:50.4 for trainer Vincent Fusco Jr.
RED MAN, BLACK INK: Driver Eric Abbatiello continued to
endear himself to value players Saturday, guiding one 6-1 shot and a 9-2 chance
to victory lane. This after his 22-1 score on the Friday card.
FAVES NOT FAB: After post-time choices went only
2-for-9 on the Friday program, the chalk players probably felt they were due
for a big night Saturday, but it wasn’t to be.
The first 10 chalks failed before
Music Is Art clicked at 4-5 in the finale.
For the race week, favorites went
3-for-20 (15 percent).
A LITTLE MORE: Wagering was down when compared to
the comparable card from a year ago, with short fields the main culprit. During
the course of the night, four fields had but six betting interests at post
time. On last year’s card, the average numbers of starters per race was 8.2.
This year, it was 7.2. Last year, the total wagered was $2,229,350. This year,
it was $1,878,057, a decrease of 15.8 percent. … One lucky player betting into
the Elite Turf Club hub raked the pot in the Early 20-Cent Jackpot Super
High-Five. He or she who held the only ticket with the winning combination of
1-8-6-2-5 in the ninth race cashed in for $16,154. … The Late 20-Cent Jackpot
Super High-Five failed to result in a single-ticket winner, bloating the
carryover to $265,472. … Racing resumes at the Big M Friday at 7:15 p.m.
