Sweet Justice might just be the next star for trainer Bruce Saunders and he didn’t break the bank.
The three-year-old gelded son of Justice Hall went through the sales ring at the Harrisburg Mixed Sale as Hip No. 2011. He left a $25,000 purchase by Saunders for M&M Harness Racing.
Since the sale, Sweet Justice has done nothing but win, literally. He has made three starts at The Meadowlands, all of them wins, each time moving up the class ladder. On Friday night, he defeated older horses for the first time in an incredibly fast 1:52 with Dave Miller in the bike. The time of the mile lowered Arch Madness' track record for three-year-old geldings by two-fifths of a second. Since the sale, Sweet Justice has earned $23,000 in three starts. It is safe to say he is well on his way to being a bargain.
The human star of the night was Ron Pierce, who grabbed four wins on his way to a vacation in Montana, including the nightcap, scoring at 15-1 with Lexus Artist for trainer Jim Clouser.
Scott Zeron’s arrow continues to be pointed upward as he scored another driving double, including a 40-1 shocker with Kilted Pride for trainer Carmen Auciello -- the second time that tandem has scored this meet. It was also the second time Zeron didn’t know he won, as he headed back to the paddock, but had to turn around and get his picture taken.
Andy Miller was a two-race winner as well.
Handle was up again over the last time The Meadowlands raced on this date in 2010. The total handle showed an increase of 34 per cent, which is comparable to the increases being realized all season. In addition, the live handle was up 29 per cent over that same race day in 2010.
Racing is scheduled to return Saturday at 7:15 p.m., but customers will be kept updated based on the weather.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)