By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – For a second
straight week, Ana Afreet N bested Colossal Stride A after a scintillating
stretch drive to take the Preferred for pacers at The Meadowlands Saturday
night, one of two co-features on the card that went for $30,000.
“With the three scratches and the way
it worked out,” said winning driver Tim Tetrick. “I drew inside of Dexter
[Dunn, driving Colossal Stride A] and had to make sure he would have to chase
me again.”
Using the same script from a week
ago, Tetrick and his horse were good enough to get the same result.
Only six were behind the starting
gate, and Tetrick asked Ana Afreet N for an early burst of speed from post
position four and got it, getting around Vettel N out of the first turn and
hitting the quarter in :27.2.
Down the backstretch, 4-5 favorite
Colossal Stride A vacated the five-hole at the half and cut into the leader’s
edge onto and around the far turn. When they turned for home, Colossal Stride A
had momentum and a head advantage, but Ana Afreet N would not be denied.
The duo went toe-to-tie like a pair
of heavyweights in the 15th round for the final three-sixteenths,
and at the wire, it was Ana Afreet N prevailing by a nose for a second straight
week, at odds of 3-1 for a second straight week, over an odds-on Colossal
Stride A for a second straight week. Vettel N was third.
“It was a real nail-biter all the way
to the wire,” said Tetrick. “That horse got a head in front of me but my horse
fought back.”
Ana Afreet N returned $8.20 to his
backers in taking his third straight at The Big M. The 6-year-old son of
Bettor’s Delight-Anna Livia, who is trained by Meadowlands’ leader Jeff
Cullipher and owned by Pollack Racing and Cullipher, now has 25 wins from just
51 career starts and earnings of $213,272.
Despite facing six tough opponents
and not having raced since Nov. 21, Lindy The Great and driver Andy Miller
worked out a perfect trip to take the marquee trotting event – a Preferred
Handicap – in 1:52.3.
The 7-year-old son of
Crazed-Highscore Kemp was racing in the three-hole sixth along the rail on the
far turn as even-money favorite Scirocco Rob, who was seeking his third
straight score, was on the lead.
That’s when Lindy The Great caught a
big break, as Morairtime went off stride while in a third-over flow, so Miller
quickly swerved his horse into that spot, which meant he would have clearance
for the stretch drive.
“I just wanted to give him a nice,
easy trip,” said Miller, whose wife Julie trains the lifetime earner of
$1,054,199. “The race shook out well for us and he was full of trot finishing.”
Three-quarters was timed in 1:24 as
Lovedbythemasses applied pressure to the leader while first-over as It’s
Academic swung off that live tow three-wide and took Lindy The Great with him
into the stretch. Lindy The Great then exploded through the lane to record an
easy 1¼-length score to equal his win output from all of 2020. Scirocco Rob
held second with It’s Academic third.
“I just wanted to see what he would
do,” said Andy Miller of his horse who raced with trotting hobbles removed. “I
thought I’d try it last week [in his qualifier] and he was super solid.
Hopefully, he can go all year without them. We are really excited about this
year.”
Lindy The Great paid $5.80 as the 9-5
second choice in winning for the 16th time from 64 career starts. He
is owned by Andy Miller Stable and Team Lindy The Great.
A LITTLE MORE: All-source wagering totaled
$3,625,679 to wrap up a weekend that saw total betting of over $6.8 million. …
The 10th race 50-cent Pick-4 pool of $136,807 was a 2021 best. Todd
McCarthy and Tetrick each won twice during the sequence, and those who hit
cashed in for $128.30 after two favorites and two 3-1 shots scored. … Ten of
the 13 races on the program were won by horses who went off at 3-1 or less. …
McCarthy led the drivers with three winners on the card. … Racing resumes
Friday at 6:20 p.m.
