Andy Miller and Yannick Gingras were the driving stars Saturday night at Meadowlands Racetrack, both winning three races. Miller’s three wins included the “prep” for the Exit 16W with Mr Dennis.
That winner was a recent $110,000 January Mixed Sale Purchase for Nick Surick and the J L Benson Stables. Mr Dennis, who hit the mile on the snowy night in a sharp 1:49.4, completed the 1-1/16th in 1:57, just four-fifths of a second off Artistic Fella’s world record.
Gingras scored with a pair of Ron Burke trainees earlier in the card along with the finale. The remainder of the driving colony shared the wealth at the Meadowlands on Saturday night with Dave Miller, Ron Pierce and John Campbell all winning two races.
The snowy and cold conditions couldn’t slow down the wagering, which was hot and heavy. The total all-sources handle was over $3 million once again at $3,438,921. That marked a 16 per cent increase from the $2,953,675 wagered on this same Saturday in 2012. Not only has the handle at the Meadowlands been up each of the 15 nights of racing thus far, but the back-to-back $3 million nights on Friday and Saturday were the first since the weekend of April 2 and 3, 2010.
Racing returns Thursday with the first round of the Winter Survivor Series for $15,000 claiming pacers featuring five divisions, and the first leg of the Charles Singer for four-year-old trotters with three divisions. The series action continues on Friday with the first leg of the Junior Trendsetter for three-year=old pacers and Saturday with the first round of the Exit 16W for four=year-old pacers. Post time for all three cards is 7:15 p.m.
(Meadowlands Racetrack)