East Rutherford, NJ – For faithful fans of the standout aged pacer Highalator, Saturday night (June 6) at the Meadowlands was an extremely profitable one.

Highalator (No. 10) and driver Ricky Still pull off an upset in the Saturday night feature at the Meadowlands. Lisa Photo.

The 6-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere-Higher And Higher pulled off a shocker in the Big M’s featured Preferred for pacers, scoring from off the pace at odds of 42-1.

None Bettor A, who won his last outing before the coronavirus shutdown in 1:50.4 at the Meadowlands, was sent to the gate as the 3-5 favorite. The veteran speedball, who qualified last week in 1:50.4 at Gaitway Farm, was on the point through torrid fractions of :26.2, :53.3 and 1:21.3, but did not have quite enough to finish the job, setting the stage for a closer.

Highalator, who won six-of-nine starts at the Meadowlands a year ago, which included a four-race sweep of the Golden Receiver series, showed high early energy from post 10 before settling into the six-hole past the quarter and half.

Bettor Memories was now on the go first-over while providing a live tow for Highalator as he grinded his way into contention at three-quarters. With a little more than an eighth-of-a-mile to go, Ricky Still, so patient throughout the mile, tipped Highalator off his cover and under steady urging was able grab the front before hanging on by a neck, holding off the late two-pronged attack of second-place finisher Jesse Duke N and Shnitzledosomethin, who grabbed the show dough.

This was quite a payoff for Highalator lovers, as the Jenny Bier trainee returned $86.80 to win. During his Golden Receiver sweep in 2019, he was sent off as the favorite every time, the longest odds being 8-5.

Highalator stopped the clock in 1:48.4 and now has 33 wins from 72 lifetime starts. His career earnings now stand at $559,074 for owners Jenny Bier, Joann Dombeck and Midsize Construction Inc.

A LITTLE MORE: Favorites proved a tad vulnerable during the first weekend back as eight post-time choices won over the course of the 26 races (31 percent), but there was still plenty of form, as 14 races were won by horses whose odds were 3-1 or less (54 percent). … All-source wagering totaled $2,743,510. Betting at the Big M has now exceeded $2.5 million on nine straight occasions and 14 of the last 15 cards. … Ten different drivers guided winners on the Saturday program. Tim Tetrick had a driving triple while Dexter Dunn won twice. … Racing resumes Friday (June 12) at 7:15 p.m.