By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media
Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The Preferred
Pace at the Meadowlands Saturday night may have lacked quantity, but it did not
lack for quality – or a thrilling finish – as None Bettor A recorded a narrow
victory over Trump Nation in 1:50.4.
After Endeavor scratched, the $30,000
event was down to a field of five, and in the early going 4-5 favorite Trump
Nation, who was in search of a fifth straight Big M score, put even-money
second choice None Bettor A in the pocket.
There wasn’t much action to the half,
which was clocked in :56.1, but with three-eighths of a mile to go, Andy
McCarthy edged None Bettor A to the outside as Yannick Gingras and Trump Nation
braced for the challenge.
Then, the action went from pedestrian
to pulse-pounding.
Trump Nation dug in through the
length of the stretch as the Andrew Harris-trained None Bettor A relentlessly
continued to inch closer, and at the wire, it took the photo-finish camera to
determine that None Bettor A, making his seasonal debut, had nosed out Trump
Nation. Both recorded final quarters of :26.1. Rodeo Rock was explosive late
after racing last to the top of the stretch to finish third. Harambe Deo and
Franco Totem N cashed the final two checks.
“I’ve trained Trump Nation [in the
past],” said Harris. “And I know how quick his turn of foot is. But I won’t
lie. When I saw those fractions, I was not sure what to think. But this being
None Bettor’s first start, and against top horses, I’m very pleased. He’s tuned
up and ready for stakes season.
“He will skip next week most likely.
Then on to the [March 14] Borgata Series [at Yonkers]. And he’s staked up
pretty good, so we will play it by ear as we go and he will tell us what he’s
ready for and when.”
None Bettor A returned $4.20 to win
as the second choice in the wagering. The 7-year-old gelded son of Bettor’s
Delight-Limerick Star, who is owned by Joe P Racing and Oldford Racing, now has
29 wins in 77 lifetime starts and earnings of $459,445.
POWERFUL PICK-6 POOL: The 20-cent Pick-6, which had a
carryover of $11,270 from Friday, saw $77,512 in “new money” for a total pool
of $88,782. A formful sequence saw four favorites, one even-money second choice
and one 5-1 shot combine to create a payoff of $288.98.
WILD WAGERING WEEKEND: For a second straight night, betting
was less than $30,000 away from the magic $3-million mark, but was more than
enough to complete the biggest weekend of betting at the Big M in 2020.
After $2,973,673 was pushed through
the windows Saturday, the third best single night of the year, the weekend
total reached $5,944,408.
A LITTLE MORE: When Jeff Dauplaise, 58, moved Soho
Chelsea A along the inside to win the 11th race, it gave the veteran
driver his first win at the Meadowlands since Dec. 5th of 2015.
Lifetime, he’s won 228 races. … Dexter Dunn led the driver colony with four
wins on the card. … Gingras had a driving double, lifting his February win
total to a track-best 23. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:55 p.m.
