Odds On Lauderdale continued his resurgence from an early-season slump by taking the Dash For The G Notes Final at the Meadowlands on Friday night.
The four-year-old son of Western Ideal-Worldly Deo, who started the year just two for his first 11, was third at the rail to the half before moving first-over after leader Dragonology with an authoritative brush. He grabbed the lead on the far turn to open up an almost three-length advantage, then cruised through a final quarter of :26.4 to score in a lifetime-best equalling 1:49.1 for trainer Tony Alagna and owners Odds On Racing for his second straight decisive win. It was three-quarters of a length back to a non-threatening Machiavelli. Jackamino was third.
Odds On Lauderdale, who was driven by Dexter Dunn, returned $2.60 as the 1-5 favourite and has now won eight of 40 lifetime starts, good for earnings of $159,174.
A pair of $50,000 Muscle Hill Stakes divisions for three-year-old male trotters were won by Union Forces (1:52.2), owned in part by Toronto's John Fielding and David Anderson of Aurora, Ont., and Chin Chin Hall (1:52.1). The $30,000 filly divisions of the Continental Victory went to Gobi Princess (1:53.2) and The Ice Dutchess (1:51.1) -- the latter filly is owned by Coyote Wynd Farms of Vancouver, B.C.
A LITTLE MORE: Dunn, Scott Zeron and Yannick Gingras all recorded driving doubles on the card. … All-source handle totaled $2,249,038.
HAMBO DAY IS HERE: The 94th edition of the Hambletonian will serve as the centerpiece for a 16-race, stakes-filled card that gets underway Saturday at noon.
Greenshoe is the one to beat in the second of two Hambo eliminations while his Marcus Melander-trained stablemate, the unbeaten Gimpanzee, will be favoured in the first elim. The $1 million final will be Race 12 on the card.
Other equine stars who are on the program include:
· Defending Horse of the Year McWicked taking on 1:46 pacer Lather Up in the Sam McKee Memorial
· Guardian Angel As (John Cashman Memorial)
· 2017 Horse of the Year Hannelore Hanover (John Steele Memorial)
· Current leading U.S. Horse of the Year candidate Shartin N (Lady Liberty)
· Captain Crunch and Bettors Wish, arguably the sport’s best rivalry, will go toe-to-toe in the Cane Pace.
CATCH THE ACTION: In the event you are not local, or can’t make it out to the track, the Hambletonian Day card will be available live in its entirety on the internet at playmeadowlands.com and on the Big M’s Facebook Live page.
The CBS Sports Network will have a live 90-minute presentation of the Hambletonian Day card. Host Gary Seibel and co-host Dave Brower will bring three lives races into living rooms across the country, they are:
· $280,000 John Cashman Memorial for free-for-all trotters (4:10 p.m. post time)
· $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for three-year-old trotting fillies (4:40 p.m.)
· $1,000,000 Hambletonian for three-year-old trotters (5:14 p.m.)
There will be six wagers on the program that could bring huge payoffs that will offer a low 15 per cent takeout:
· 20-Cent Survivor Pick-6 (Race 1)
· 50-Cent Pick-5 (Races 3-7), with a guaranteed pool of $50,000
· 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five (Race 7), which has a carryover of $7,000 and will have an estimated pool of $25,000
· 50-Cent Pick-4 (Races 8-11), with a guaranteed pool of $100,000
· 20-Cent Jackpot Super High-Five (Race 11), which has a carryover of $53,000 and an estimated pool of $150,000
· 50-Cent Pick-4 (Races 13-16), with a guaranteed pool of $50,000
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)