By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Stay Hungry
and Courtly Choice were the winners of the eliminations for next week’s
Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Saturday night at the Meadowlands.
“(The trip) worked out great and he
got the job done,” said Doug McNair, who guided Stay Hungry to victory in the
first elim. “The trips have not worked out 100 percent for him.”
Until Saturday night, that is.
McNair was content to race Stay
Hungry from off the pace, sitting fifth at the quarter before picking up live
cover from 37-1 shot Ideal Feeling after the half, where even-money favorite
Nutcracker Sweet had the lead in :55.1.
Ideal Feeling continued to make
progress on the rim passing three-quarters. After the field straightened
away in the stretch, McNair tipped the son of Somebeachsomewhere off his cover,
and Stay Hungry did the rest. He cruised to the wire, a three-quarter length
winner over the pocket-sitting Hayden Hanover. Thinkbig Dreambig closed well
for third, while Nutcracker Sweet and This Is The Plan finished fourth and
fifth, respectively, to qualify for next week’s $701,830 final.
“He’s come back well,” said trainer
Tony Alagna of Stay Hungry. “The five-eighths mile racing is really not his
forte (he finished fourth at Pocono in the Hempt). Everything came together
tonight.”
As the 2-1 second choice, Stay Hungry
paid $6.40 to win. He competed the mile in a lifetime-best 1:49.
Two races later, Courtly Choice,
supplemented to the event by his connections for $61,690, sat third as 4-5
favorite Jimmy Freight (the other supplemental entrant) cut out fractions of
:27, :54.2 and 1:22.2.
David Miller moved Courtly Choice off
the rail at the five-eighths and inched closer to the leader around the far
turn and still had work to do at the head of the stretch.
But he was up to the task.
Courtly Choice eased past Jimmy
Freight in deep stretch and had more than enough to hold off the late rally of
the pocket-sitting American History, who finished three-quarters of a length
back in second. Jimmy Freight and Dorsoduro Hanover finished in a dead-heat for
third while Babes Dig Me claimed the last spot in the final by finishing fifth.
“I actually got away where I expected
to,” said Miller. “He felt really strong. I asked him and he paced really hard.
He’s got big lungs and can carry his speed.”
“From last year to this year, he’s
really matured,” said winning trainer Blake MacIntosh of his prized pupil. “He
loves to race now.”
As the 2-1 second choice in the
wagering, Courtly Choice returned $6.00 to his backers. The son of Art Major
hit the wire in a lifetime-best 1:48.2.
A LITTLE MORE: No one hit the 50-Cent Pick-5,
meaning that for the first time since January, the wager will have a carryover.
The last time there was a Pick-5 carryover, the pool total exceeded $250,000. …
Speaking of carryovers, the Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five failed to
result in a single-ticket winner, bloating the carryover to $276,939. This
Friday, July 13, the JSH5 will have a mandatory payout, meaning that to cash,
one does not have to hold the only ticket with the winning combination. … For
the second consecutive race card after a nearly two-month drought, the 50-Cent
Pick-4 pool went past the $100,000 mark, as a total of $108,123 was poured into
the pot. … The 20-Cent Survivor Pick-10 was tough, with three early races going
to a pair of 16-1 shots and a 26-1 chance. In the end, only one player survived
six legs, and he or she cashed in for $12,491. … All-source wagering on the
12-race card totaled $2,513,366. … Racing resumes Friday at the Big M at 7:15
p.m. … Next Saturday has an early post time of 6:35 p.m. The featured event is
the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace. That morning, at 11 a.m., a new era in Big
M history will be ushered in as sports betting will be available.
