Hollywood’s Hits: Impressive numbers from Meadowlands Pace Night
Wow! What a night it was last Saturday (July 16) for the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace. A total of $2,635,800 in purses produced an average pot of $202,754 for the 13 races. Here’s some other impressive numbers on the night:
• Thirty-six years after trainer Brad Maxwell’s only top-five finish in the Meadowlands trainer standings (third in 1980), the Canadian-based trainer won the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace with Control The Moment.
• Progeny of trotting superstar Muscle Hill had 34 representatives on the weekend cards (26 on Friday and eight on Saturday) — including both Dancer winners.
• There were bargains galore in the stakes races. Haughton winner Always B Miki is a homebred; Hambletonian Maturity champ Hannelore Hanover was a $32,000 yearling; Control The Moment, the Crawford Farms Meadowlands Pace champ was a $47,000 yearling and he nosed out Racing Hill who sold for $22,000 as a yearling; Golden Girls champion Lady Shadow was a $19,000 yearling. That’s $120,000 combined.
• Wiggle It Jiggleit’s streak of being the betting favorite ended with the Haughton, when Always B Miki went off as the public’s choice.
• Control The Moment’s pilot Brian Sears is now the fifth driver to win the Meadowlands Pace the year after winning the Hambletonian — joining John Campbell (twice), Ron Pierce (twice), Billy Haughton and Tim Tetrick. Sears has now driven Control The Moment twice to two lifetime marks — 1:49.2 in the elimination and 1:48.2 in the final.
• The :24.4 opening quarter in the Lady Shadow race was the fastest quarter in Meadowlands history. Interesting that the last time we can remember a :24.4 opener was also a lady — Incredible Tillie — and she won also.
• Howard Taylor’s day was one for the ages. Many may not know that his father, Jerome Taylor, was in the richest ever race — the $2,161,000 Woodrow Wilson in 1984 — and finished fourth with Devils Adversary.
• Supplementally speaking, it’s now two straight years that there has been a winning supplement in the Hambletonian Maturity — J L Cruze and now Hannelore Hanover.
• Still no Miller Time in the Meadowlands Pace, though five have given it their best — Delvin, Jim, Andy, Brett and David.