East Rutherford, NJ – Jordan Stratton gave Lyons Steel an aggressive drive and that proved to be the difference Saturday night (Sept. 13) at The Meadowlands, as the Jose Ramos trainee pulled off a 20-1 surprise in the featured $17,500 high-end conditioned pace.
Departing from post eight in the 10-horse field, Stratton had Lyons Steel on the go at the start before settling into a two-hole behind leader Rhyds Superfly GB, who had the lead at the quarter in :26.4.
Its Saturday Night, the 5-2 favorite, was put in play at this point, and rolled to the top, leading at the half in :55.3. On the far turn, Rhyds Superfly GB vacated the pocket, forcing Lyons Steel to go three-wide as they went past three-quarters in 1:24.1.
With a quick burst of speed, Lyons Steel took over the lead just after the field straightened up in the stretch, and the 10-year-old gelded son of Rock N Roll Heaven-Lyons Luck completed his upset mission in 1:50.1. It was three-quarters-of-a-length back to Its Saturday Night second. Camara Moment finished third.
“He leaves the gate so fast and he got good position,” said Stratton. “He flew home in :26 flat [actually :25.4]. He’s been a really good horse his whole life.”
Owned by BD Racing, Lyons Steel recorded his 61st career win from 264 starts, good for earnings of $868,996. He paid $43.20 to win as the eighth choice in the wagering.
ANOTHER RECORD FOR LAUREN: It was Aug. 23 when Lauren Tritton became the first female driver in Meadowlands history to win three races on a card.
Not satisfied with that, Tritton won four times on Sept. 6 to best her own mark.
With the single-card dash-win record now secure, Tritton broke into the record books again Saturday in another way.
Her victory in 1:49.2 with Magnifico Hanover in the seventh race made Tritton the fastest winning female driver in Big M history. The record she broke was established on May 3, 2014, when Stacy Chiodo guided Mighty Young Joe to victory lane in 1:49.3.
SEE YOU IN OCTOBER: Harness racing at The Meadowlands will now take a four-week break while Monmouth Park conducts a Thoroughbred turf meeting at the mile oval. The nine turf programs are scheduled for Sept. 19, 20, 26, 27; Oct. 3, 4, 10, 11 and 17. Post time is 7 p.m.
Harness racing returns on Saturday, Oct. 18, at 6:20 p.m.
A LITTLE MORE: Mark Herschberger and Brett Beckwith led the driver colony with three winners apiece. Beckwith now has 100 wins at The Big M this year, which has him at the top of the standings. … Jake Leamon paced the trainers with two jaunts down victory lane. … All-source handle on the 14-race program totaled $2,246,217.