East Rutherford, NJ — Neither three weeks off nor a horse grabbing the lead off the far turn could stop Highalator from continuing his winning ways at The Meadowlands, as the 6-year-old won his second straight after being under siege throughout the stretch at the mile oval Saturday night (Sept. 26).

At the wire, Highalator determinedly prevailed in 1:50, finishing a head in front of Ideal Feeling. Lisa photo.

For those who bet on the Jenny Bier trainee, who last raced on Sept. 5 at The Big M, it looked almost too good to be true in the early going, as driver Ricky Still urged the son of Somebeachsomewhere-Higher And Higher to the lead from post 10 without having to work too hard to do it.

The quarter was reached in a leisurely :27.1 before the half was hit in a sleepy :55.3. But on the far turn, Jesse Duke N made a race of it after popping out of the three-hole on the far turn, and came after the leader with good momentum, actually grabbing a half-length advantage with three-sixteenths to go.

But Highalator had more.

Through the stretch, Highalator and Jesse Duke N went at it toe-to-toe while U S Captain on the outside and Ideal Feeling at the rail made their way into the scrum. At the wire, Highalator determinedly prevailed in 1:50, finishing a head in front of Ideal Feeling. U S Captain, the 2-1 public choice, was third while Jesse Duke N was fourth.

Owned by Jenny Bier, Joann Dombeck and Midsize Construction Inc., Highalator, who has won three of four 2020 starts at The Big M, returned $11.60 to win as the third choice in the wagering. He now has 37 victories from just 81 lifetime starts and earnings of $604,614.

A Little More: Brian Sears and Dexter Dunn sat atop the driver’s colony for the evening, as each guided three winners. One of Sears’ wins came with Exotic Dance, a 4-year-old pacing mare from the Jenn Bongiorno stable who increased her winning streak to four in a $15,000-$20,000 claiming handicap.

Despite favorites winning both races, each 10-cent Pentafecta brought handsome payouts. The fifth race paid $1,404.70 and the 13th race came back $1,633.47.

All-source wagering totaled $2,251,836.

Racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m.