East Rutherford, NJ — Saturday (April 27) night at the Meadowlands served as the perfect prelude to the start of next week’s “Championship Meet” as two series finals and two series-opening legs were contested on the 13-race program.

Goes Down Smooth took down the $54,000 Walner Series final in 1:54 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Ron Burke. Lisa Photo.

In the $54,500 Walner Series final for 3-year-old colts and geldings on the trot, Goes Down Smooth was an opportunistic winner in 1:54 for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Ron Burke.

Final Claim, also from the Burke barn, was the 2-5 favorite looking to stay perfect in four seasonal starts. He turned for home with the lead but went off stride in mid-stretch, allowing Goes Down Smooth to inherit the top. He hit the wire a neck in front of Warrior One. Cheap Tricks was third.

Goes Down Smooth, a son of Muscle Hill-Peach Martini, returned $8.40 to win as the second choice in the wagering.

Prince Of Tides got a great steer from Andy Miller and won the $58,500 Wiggle It Jiggleit Series final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings in 1:49.4.

Dealer’s Table, the 7-5 favorite who was impossible to rate in defeat last week, again was too hot on the front end (hitting three-quarters in 1:21.1), enabling Miller to vacate the pocket – a position he earned by leaving the gate at the start from post eight – and roll by the leader before holding off a determined Stone Hanover, who missed by a big nose after closing well late. World On Edge was third.

Prince Of Tides, a gelded son of Somebeachsomewhere-Tug River Princess who is trained by Ross Croghan, returned $15.80 as the third choice on the tote board.

Pinkman ($5.20 to win as the favorite), the 2015 Hambletonian champion and lifetime earner of better than $2.7 million, was victorious in the first leg of the Mr Muscleman for open trotters in 1:52.4 while Highalator ($5.40 as the public choice) scored in the opening leg of the Golden Receiver for open pacers, stopping the clock in 2:03.4 for the added distance of a mile and an eighth. Highalator has won three of four starts at the Big M this year.

A LITTLE MORE: 2018 Hambletonian champion Atlanta, who now resides in the Burke barn, qualified impressively Saturday morning in 1:52.3 with new driver Yannick Gingras. She now races without the use of trotting hobbles. Hambletonian hopeful Greenshoe was ultra-impressive, winning in 1:54.1 under wraps with Brian Sears at the controls for trainer Marcus Melander. Melander also has two other high-profile sophomore trotting colts in Green Manalishi S and Gimpanzee. … All-source handle pushed past the magic $3-million mark for the eighth time in 2019, as $3,015,228 was put in play by the Big M faithful. … Racing resumes Friday at 7:15 p.m.