By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Atlanta tuned
up for next week’s TVG Mares Trot by winning the Saturday night feature at the
Meadowlands in dominant fashion.
The fastest trotter in Big M history
by virtue of her 1:49.1 clocking on July 6 of this year, Atlanta toyed with a
talented field in the mile oval's featured $30,000 Preferred for trotters.
Sent to the gate as the 3-5 public
choice, driver Yannick Gingras put Atlanta on the early lead, hitting the
quarter in :27.3. After a sleepy second fraction of :29.4 followed, it was all
but over right then and there.
The 4-year-old daughter of Chapter
Seven-Hemi Blue Chip never had an anxious moment, hitting the finish 2¼ lengths
in front of the pocket-sitting-throughout Guardian Angel As in 1:52.2.
Southwind Chrome rallied for third. The winner returned $3.40 to her backers.
“I couldn’t be happier with her,”
said Gingras. “She trotted right to the wire better than she has in a little
while.”
“The track wasn’t playing super fast,”
said winning trainer Ron Burke. “There might have been a bias against horses
racing on the front end. It’s the best performance Atlanta has had on the front
this year. We could not have asked for anything more. She was straight all the
way to the wire. I can’t take anything bad out of the race.”
Atlanta has now won 20 of her 38
career starts and earned $1,866,889 for owners Crawford Farms Racing, Brad
Grant and Howard Taylor.
Atlanta’s stablemate, Hannelore
Hanover, raced first over at the half but never threatened before weakening and
finishing last in the field of eight.
The lifetime earner of more than $3
million, who will face Atlanta when she makes her final career start in the TVG
Mares Trot on Nov. 23, had some problems in her next-to-last race. “She bled
again,” said Burke of Hannelore Hanover. “It happens intermittently. That’s why
she’s not who she was before. She’s not the same because of it. That’s why it’s
time to call it quits. We’ll treat her this week and she’ll be better on
Saturday.”
A LITTLE MORE: Tim Tetrick drove four winners on the
card. … Dexter Dunn stayed hot, as after winning three on the Friday card, he
won three more on Saturday. … Favorites ruled for a second straight night as
eight post-time choices won Saturday after a half-dozen scored on Friday. … The
20-cent Survivor Pick-10 paid $4,060.24 to the pair of players who lasted eight
legs. … All-source handle on the 13-race card was $2,412,658. … Racing resumes
Friday at 7:15 p.m.
