By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Neither three
weeks off nor a horse grabbing the lead off the far turn could stop Highalator
from continuing his winning ways at The Meadowlands, as the 6-year-old won his
second straight after being under siege throughout the stretch at the mile oval
Saturday night.
For those who bet on the Jenny Bier
trainee, who last raced on Sept. 5 at The Big M, it looked almost too good to
be true in the early going, as driver Ricky Still urged the son of
Somebeachsomewhere-Higher And Higher to the lead from post 10 without having to
work too hard to do it.
The quarter was reached in a
leisurely :27.1 before the half was hit in a sleepy :55.3. But on the far turn,
Jesse Duke N made a race of it after popping out of the three-hole on the far
turn, and came after the leader with good momentum, actually grabbing a
half-length advantage with three-sixteenths-of-a-mile to go.
But Highalator had more.
Through the stretch, Highalator and
Jesse Duke N went at it toe-to-toe while U S Captain on the outside and Ideal
Feeling at the rail made their way into the scrum. At the wire, Highalator
determinedly prevailed in 1:50, finishing a head in front of Ideal
Feeling. U S Captain, the 2-1 public choice, was third while Jesse Duke N was
fourth.
Owned by Jenny Bier, Joann Dombeck
and Midsize Construction Inc., Highalator, who has won three of four 2020
starts at The Big M, returned $11.60 to win as the third choice in the
wagering. He now has 37 victories from just 81 lifetime starts and earnings of
$604,614.
A LITTLE MORE: Brian Sears and Dexter Dunn sat atop
the driver’s colony for the evening, as each guided three winners. … One of
Sears’ wins came with Exotic Dance, a 4-year-old pacing mare from the Jenn
Bongiorno stable who increased her winning streak to four in a $15,000-$20,000
claiming handicap. … Despite favorites winning both races, each 10-cent
Pentafecta brought handsome payouts. The fifth race paid $1,404.70 and the 13th
race came back $1,633.47. … All-source wagering totaled $2,251,836. … Racing
resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m.
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