Highalator continued his remarkable Meadowlands run Saturday night (May 11), taking the second leg of the Golden Receiver Series in 1:48.3 and giving him four wins in five Big M tries this year.
Displaying his trademark explosive early speed, the five-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere-Higher And Higher went parked around the first turn from post eight and grabbed the top while on the outside in :26.4.
Ricky Still then relaxed the 3-5 favourite, rating the second fraction in :28.3 before Always At My Place moved first over at the half and chipped away at Highalator’s advantage to become a threatening presence at three-quarters.
But the Jenny Bier trainee shrugged off Always At My Place before sprinting his final quarter in :25.2 to record a one-and-a-quarter-length win. Pocket-sitting Sweet Rock was second with Classy Dragon finishing third. The winning time equaled the third fastest mile in the sport this year.
Highalator returned $3.20 to his backers and has now won five of his last six – the only loss coming at the Meadowlands when he went a huge mile to get second – and is two-for-two in the Golden Receiver. Lifetime, he’s won 27-of-60 starts and earned $394,028 for owners Jenny Bier, Joann Dombeck and Midsize Construction.
Earlier on the card, Caviart Ally bested a strong field in the $30,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace. The five-year-old daughter of Bettors Delight-Allamerican Cool made the top while parked in :26.4 and went all the way from there, scoring by a half-length over Gold Orchid N in 1:50 as the 7-5 favourite for driver Andy McCarthy and trainer Brett Pelling. Delightfulmemphisn was third with Bettorhaveanother fourth. Youaremycandygirl, making her seasonal debut, finished fifth.
A LITTLE MORE: McCarthy was on fire early on, driving four of the first five winners on the card.
Wagering on the 50-Cent Pick 4 was typically strong, with a total pool of $102,126. Big M TV’s Dave Brower gave out the Pick 4 to his followers. For those who played Brower’s ticket, the wager was $32 with the payout a handsome $2,028.15.
The Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five yielded a single-ticket winner despite the race being won by the 6-5 favourite. The ticket with the winning combination of 2-3-1-10-9 paid $33,010.24.
All-source handle on the 13-race card totaled $2,566,272.
Racing resumes Friday, May 17 at 7:15 p.m.
(with files from the Meadowlands)