Shark Gesture held on to win the $50,000 William R. Haughton Memorial Prep for free for all pacers Friday night at Meadowlands Racetrack

.

George Brennan guided Shark Gesture to victory in 1:49, holding off a late rally from Won The West (Dave Miller). Pocket-sitter Foiled Again (Yannick Gingras) finished one length behind in third. The four-year-old son of Cams Card Shark-Simple Gesture has earned over $2.5 million lifetime for trainer Larry Remmen and owners Norman Smiley of Boca Raton, Florida, Gerald Smiley of Montreal, QC and T L P Stable of Kearny, New Jersey.

Shark Gesture paid $3.40 to win. His full brother, Shark Ingested, finished second in the Woodrow Wilson elimination earlier in the night.

“There was a short field and we got lucky enough to get a soft half,” said Brennan. “Usually he’s getting down there in :53 and change but he really appreciated the :55 half tonight. 1:49 tonight is a good mile. It’s cool out, with a little wind coming at you in the top of the lane. I certainly did [want to keep Foiled Again boxed in]. I don’t trust Foiled Again, he always gives a top effort and if he gets through there, he may go zooming by. I had to keep him in and I’m glad I had him where he was.”

The $702,500 William R. Haughton Memorial will be contested closing night of the meet, Friday, August 20.

Eliminations for the Woodrow Wilson for two-year-old colts and geldings and the Sweetheart final for two-year-old fillies were also contested tonight.

Under the guidance of Ron Pierce, Powerful Mist captured his second win in three starts in the $20,000 Woodrow Wilson elimination. The race went in 1:51.4. The two-year-old colt was a $27,000 yearling purchase from the Winbak Select Yearling Sale in Maryland. The son of Powerful Toy-Misty Speed is owned by Legacy Racing of Seaford, Neil Gargiulo of Milford, Delaware and Louie Paglierani of Valrico, Florida. Wayne Givens trains the colt.

Also advancing to the $473,000 final next Friday are Shark Ingested, Line Officer, Arockin Hanover, Mcsocks, On The Radar and Rollem Up who finished in the top seven respectively. Fashion Delight, Grams Legacy and Rollwithitharry earned byes into the final.

In the $20,000 Sweetheart elimination, Shyaway paced to victory in 1:52.3, with Brian Sears in the sulky, to advance to the $402,400 final next week. The daughter of Artiscape-Armbro Berlin is now two-for-three lifetime for trainer Chris Ryder. She was a $20,000 yearling purchase from the Lexington Selected Sale for owner Brittany Farms of Versailles, Kentucky.

The first eight finishers advancing to the final with Shyaway are Ladystar, Honky Tonk Woman, Mothermayi Hanover, Rocklamation, Myluvmylife, Ms Malicious and Cndiana Jones. Show And Tell and Ace of Pace will join the top eight finishers after receiving byes into the final.

Friday’s card also featured the weekly $32,000 Mares Invitational Pace, which saw Ideal Nectarine and Dave Miller pull off an 18-1 upset.

The Ken Rucker pupil sat sixth while Not Enough (Tim Tetrick) and 9-5 favourite Laughandbehappy (John Campbell) traded turns on the lead through opening stations of :27.3 and :55. She then picked up cover from Chancey Lady (Dan Dube) past three-quarters in 1:22.3 before kicking home in :27.3 for the upset in 1:50.2. Ramona Disomma (George Brennan) closed from the backfield to finish a half-length back in second with Ideal Newton (Ron Pierce) edging out Chancey Lady and Not Enough for third, just three-quarters of a length behind.

Ideal Nectarine, a five-year-old daughter of Western Ideal-Armbro Nectarine owned and bred by D. R. Van Witzenburg of Crest Hill, Illinois, scored her third win in 15 starts this year. Her earnings climbed to $53,190 for 2010 and $425,100 lifetime.

To view Friday's results, click here.

Pick Six Carryover Tops Betting Opportunities Saturday

A Pick Six carryover and two guaranteed Pick Four pools give bettors big wagering opportunities to aim at Saturday night at Meadowlands Racetrack.

A series of long shots has produced a Pick Six carryover of $58,185 heading into the Saturday night card. A $1 base wager, the Pick Six begins in Race 4. A nine-day Pick Six carryover produced a $131,599 payout on Saturday, February 6, 2010. The record payoff is $193,384, hit after a 10-day carryover and record $1.3 million pool on April 4, 2009.

The Meadowlands' Pick Four pool is guaranteed at $75,000 for Saturday night. Offered nightly on Races 6 through 9, the Pick Four is a "must bet" with its low 15 percent takeout, guaranteed nightly pools and high return rate. The average Pick Four pool is $78,103, with an average payoff of $4,275 for a $1 wager. The Pick Four has paid out more than $1,000 over 50 percent of the time since January 1, including a record $70,446 on March 26.

A national Pick Four wager, featuring a $50,000 guaranteed pool, will also be offered Saturday as part of the United States Trotting Association's 'Back To The Track' weekend. The wager begins with Meadowlands Race 9, followed by races from Northfield Park, Yonkers and Balmoral Park. The 'Back To The Track' Pick Four is a $1 minimum bet and also features a low 15 percent takeout. For past performances, go to BackToTheTrack.com.

Plus, Big M Club members will receive double points on Meadowlands wagers Saturday night. Not a Big M Club member yet? Sign up Saturday and receive a free t-shirt!

First race post time is 7 p.m. Saturday. For selections, check out Ken Warkentin and Bob Heyden's blogs on MeadowlandsRacetrack.com.

(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)