by James Witherite, Meaedowlands racing media

East Rutherford, NJ — Delightful Dragon ($6.20) and Mambo Lindy ($10.40) proved tops in Friday evening’s (Nov. 11) featured events at the Meadowlands, while Jim Marohn Jr. led all drivers with a hat trick on the 11-race card.

Lisa Photo

Mambo Lindy takes the featured trotting contest at the Meadowlands on Friday evening in 1:53.4.

Delightful Dragon used steady first-over gains through the middle stages of the $17,500 top-level distaff pacing feature (race seven), chasing down a fast pace and edging away to a 1:51.4 victory.

After tucking into the third spot early behind pacesetter Seeking Nirvana (Henrik Lundell), Jim Marohn, Jr. angled the 5-year-old Bettor’s Delight mare first-over on approach to race’s midpoint, making gradual gains into a :54 half mile.

Delightful Dragon pushed to the fore with five-sixteenths to go as the pace slackened through a :29 third quarter-mile, and opened 2-3/4 lengths of clearance on Icommandmyspirit (Corey Callahan), who rallied off third-over cover to take second from a laboring Gweneeee J (Joe Bongiorno) in deep stretch.

Noel Daley owns and trains 17-time winner Delightful Dragon. For Marohn, the featured win was the middle leg of a driving hat trick, which also included wins aboard Detroit Rapper ($2.80, 1:57.1) and Four Hour Nap ($19.80, 1:53.1).

In the night’s top trotting race, a $15,000 conditioned event (race six), Mambo Lindy enjoyed a pocket trip behind Waiting On A Woman (Vinny Ginsburg) through sectionals of :28, :56 ,and 1:24.3 before angling off the pegs and striking the front in upper stretch.

The 5-year-old Donato Hanover gelding edged clear at will as Waiting On A Woman gave way, evading a belated stand-side challenge from odds-on favorite Rock of Cashel (John Campbell) to prevail in 1:53.4. Triple millionaire Market Share (Marohn) stayed on from second-over to save third.

For Mambo Lindy, the win was the 13th of his career, and just two-fifths of a second shy of his lifetime mark. Italian-born Patrizio Ancora handled the driving duties for the Antonacci family’s Greathorse group and trainer Frank Antonacci.

Favorites upended in Pick-5, Jackpot High-5 hit

As four of five favorites in the night’s Pick-5 sequence were handed defeat, successful players enjoyed a $4,009.90 dividend in the wager which culminated with Harper Lee’s 19-1 upset. Harper Lee also keyed a $13,395.06 Jackpot High-5 dividend over Lastladystanding (57-1), St Lads Morgan (17-1), Paydaze On the Way (2-1) and First Best (3-2 favorite) in the night’s fifth event.

The last race Jackpot High-5 did not have a single unique winner, resulting in a carryover of $25,295.61.

A quartet of TVG Finals with a combined $1.2 million in purses headline Saturday’s (Nov. 12) 12-race card; post time is slated for 7:15 p.m.