Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty eliminations at Meadowlands
July 28, 2017,from the Meadowlands Media Relations Department
East Rutherford, NJ — Eliminations for the pair of signature freshman races at the Meadowlands, the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorials, were contested on Friday night (July 28) and Jimmy Takter was the human star.
The Hall of Famer sent out both elimination winners in the Haughton with You Know You Do (1:56.1) and Samo Different Day (1:54.2). He drove the latter, who scored as a 21-1 longshot. Takter’s four other colts all qualified for next Saturday’s final, giving him a six-pack in the Hambletonian Day fixture.
Lisa photo
You Know You Do wins his Haughton elimination in 1:56.1.
In the Doherty, Trond Smedshammer’s Phaetosive followed behind as S M S Princess rolled through suicidal fractions of :27.3 and :54.4. As that one folded through three-quarters of a mile in 1:24.3, Phaetosive got rolling and drew away to win with ease in 1:53.1.
In the second elimination, Takter’s Manchego remained undefeated in four career starts with a facile win off a picture-perfect second-over trip in 1:55.2. Takter will send three fillies into next Saturday’s final.
Nike Franco backed up her powerful win in the Golden Girls two weeks ago with a lifetime-best mile of 1:48 to win the Fillies & Mares Preferred Handicap. She enters next Saturday’s Lady Liberty in top form for trainer Jo Ann Looney-King and owner Richard Poillucci.
The biggest upset of the night was authored by Canadian invader Lookslikeachpndale who powered up first-over to win the $20,000 Preferred Trot in a lifetime-best 1:51.1. The Luc Blais trainee was winless in seven seasonal starts entering Friday night, but has shown a liking for the Big M surface in the past, finishing third at 24-1 in last year’s TVG Free For All Final. He is being pointed to next Saturday’s John Cashman Memorial on the Hambletonian undercard.
Earlier in the night, the fifth race jackpot super high 5 pool featured a mandatory payout. The jackpot stood at $35,864 and attracted $57,774 in new money, chasing the negative takeout scenario. Second choice King’s Cavalier and favorite Nono Lindy finished 1-2 with 80-1 longshot Jazebel De Vie finishing third. That helped trigger a 20-cent return of $2,832.40 to 30 winning tickets.
Total handle on the 11-race card was $2,121,251. Live racing continues Saturday with a 12-race program headlined by a pair of eliminations for the Hambletonian Oaks. Post time is 7:15 p.m.
For more information, visit www.playmeadowlands.com.
- Trio of tracks to host Grand Circuit action this week (Wednesday, July 26, 2017)
Grand Circuit action kicks off this Friday (July 28) at Plainridge Park with the $250,000 Spirit of Massachusetts Trot for older trotters.
- Captain Morgan seeks spot in Haughton final (Thursday, July 27, 2017)
As a father of two, Staffan Lind knows about raising kids; which makes him qualified to assess that training a 2-year-old colt trotter like Captain Morgan is comparable in certain ways. Captain Morgan is racing in one of two eliminations of the Peter Haughton Memorial Friday night (July 28) at the Meadowlands. The top five finishers from each race advance to the final on Hambletonian Day (Saturday, Aug. 5), at the Big M.
- Haughton and Doherty elims on Friday at The Meadowlands (Thursday, July 27, 2017)
As the 2017 Championship Meet at The Meadowlands draws to its Aug. 5 conclusion, the stakes action increases to a fever pitch. Friday night (July 28) brings with it elimination races for the track’s top freshman trotting races, the Peter Haughton and Jim Doherty Memorials.