By Dave Little, Meadowlands
Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. –
Drawing the outside post position nine proved to provide no problem for the
red-hot Oceania in the Friday night feature at the Meadowlands, a high-class
conditioned pace for fillies and mares.
The 5-year-old daughter of
Rock N Roll Heaven-Western Cruise was in the early fray around the first turn
and followed the cover of Dongal Rundlscrk N down the backside and never saw
the rail until she made lead at the three-eighths.
Driver Andy McCarthy had
plenty of horse power under the hood, as after a half in :55.4, Oceania paced
her third fraction in :27.4 before a final-quarter sprint of :27 saw her hit
the wire 1¼ lengths in front of an overmatched Dongal Rundlscrk N. Believe In
Me was third.
“She was vicious tonight,”
said McCarthy. “(Trainer) Robert Cleary has done an excellent job in keeping
her quiet and manageable. We are expecting this mare to mix things up in the
open ranks.”
Oceania completed the mile in
1:50.3 and returned $3.00 as the odds-on public choice to stay perfect in three
starts this year. Lifetime, she’s won 16-of-57 outings and earned $181,031 for
owners Royal Wire Products and United Process Control.
CAP4 STRONG AGAIN: The second edition of the Can-Am Pick-4, a wager that
requires a player to pick two winners at the Big M and two at Woodbine Mohawk
Park, saw a total pool of $58,715, approximately $1,000 more than the debut of
the bet one week ago.
The payoff on the 20-Cent
base wager was $780.98. The winner’s odds were 7-5, 1-2, 22-1 and 5-1, so like
a week ago, shrewd bettors who had the one big price cashed in big.
TOP GUNS: Yannick Gingras led the driver’s colony with four
winners on the program, while Jimmy Whittemore, a name not-so-well-known at the
Big M, scored twice with a pair of prices.
Whittemore, who has been
driving regularly of late at Saratoga, pulled off a shocker at 37-1 in the
third race with Bold Fresh before completing his driving double in the seventh
with 9-1 chance Only Passing Thru. Both of his winners were trained Marissa
Chadbourne. It was the first Meadowlands appearance of the year for both driver
and trainer.
A LITTLE MORE: A pair of big carryovers await 20-Cent Jackpot Super
High-Five players when racing resumes Saturday at 7:15 p.m. The fifth race will
start out with $71,880 in the hat, while the 13th race will offer
$38,433 to start. … All-source wagering totaled $2,355,837.
