By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The stage is
set for a glamour division grudge match.
Captain Crunch and Bettor’s Wish –
the 1-2 finishers three weeks ago in the North America Cup – will go at it
again next week in the $682,000 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Final for
3-year-olds after both emerged victorious in eliminations for the Big M’s signature
event Saturday night.
The Nancy Johansson-trained Captain
Crunch had little trouble taking the first elim in 1:48.3. The son of
Captaintreacherous-Sweet Paprika went after even-money second-choice Workin Ona
Mystery as that one made the lead approaching the three-eighths, before
'Crunch' moved to the top shortly thereafter.
Captain Crunch hit the half in :55.2
and three-quarters in 1:22.4, and despite Workin Ona Mystery making one last
lunge nearing the wire, held on for a safe half-length win. U S Captain,
Captain Ahab and Reigning Deo finished third through fifth, respectively, to
grab spots in the July 13 final.
“Nancy always keeps her horses fresh,
so I wasn’t concerned (that he had been off for three weeks),” said winning
driver Scott Zeron. “Once I saw (we went) :27 to the first quarter and
everything was going nice and steady, I was comfortable with any kind of
fractions. He’s just a different type of animal.”
In winning for the fourth time in
five outings in 2019, Captain Crunch returned $3.60 to win as the 4-5 favorite.
Bettor’s Wish was even more
impressive, scoring in the other elim in a lifetime-best 1:49.1. He hit the
finish 2¼ lengths clear of Best In Show, with Hurrikane Emperor (third),
Captain Trevor (fourth) and Escapetothebeach (fifth) grabbing the last three
berths in the final.
Bettor’s Wish, who was driven by
Dexter Dunn, put a beating on his foes by brushing to command at the
three-eighths, hitting the half in :55.3 before pacing his back half in :53.3
to go on to the easy win.
“I think we are in a good spot,” said
winning trainer Chris Ryder. “I suppose we won’t be favored next week. But I
think we’re dangerous.”
A son of Bettor’s Delight-Lifetime
Star, Bettor’s Wish returned $3.00 to his backers as the 1-2 public choice in
winning for the fifth time this year in six starts, his only loss coming to
Captain Crunch in the NA Cup.
PACE POSTS: Here are the post positions for the
$682,000 Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace Final, which takes place Saturday,
July 13, at the Meadowlands:
1, Captain Crunch; 2,
Escapetothebeach; 3, Captain Ahab; 4, Bettor’s Wish; 5, Hurrikane Emperor; 6,
Reigning Deo; 7, Best In Show; 8, U S Captain; 9, Workin Ona Mystery; 10,
Captain Trevor.
A LITTLE MORE: Lather Up (6-1 third choice) sat a
perfect pocket trip behind Always A Prince and rolled home to take the $250,000
Graduate Final for 4-year-olds on the pace. His eye-popping time of 1:46
equaled Always B Miki’s all-time fastest mile in harness racing history. …
Atlanta (1-5 favorite) stayed perfect in six 2019 starts by taking the $250,000
Graduate Final for 4-year-olds on the trot. Her time of 1:49.1 was the fastest
trotting mile in Meadowlands history. … The fifth race 20-Cent Jackpot Super
High-Five resulted in a single-ticket winner. That NJBets mobile player had the
only winning ticket with the combination of 7-9-2-11-8 and walked away with
$126,155. … All-source wagering on the 11-race card totaled $2,654,612. The
per-race average of $241,328 was the fourth highest of the meeting. … Racing
resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m.
