from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — A trio of winter series will draw to a close with rich finals this weekend at the Meadowlands.

The action gets underway Friday (March 20) with the $123,000 Overbid Final and $50,000 opening leg of the Su Mac Lad Series on the card. Martha Maxine bids for her second series crown in the Overbid for open pacing mares. She is rated as the 8-5 morning line favorite from post nine (head number eight) in the featured tenth race with Andy Miller in the sulky.

After a narrow loss to Sportsfancy in the first leg of the Overbid, she easily rushed past the competition to take the second round in 1:51. The 5-year-old mare enters Friday’s final with a record of 18 wins in 35 career starts and $307,890. She captured the $87,500 Cape & Cutter Final in a career best 1:50.4 on Feb. 20. Martha Maxine is trained and owned by Erv Miller and partners Brittany Farms and Tony Alagna.

“Martha Maxine is the rare horse who is both versatile and powerful,” said driver Andy Miller. “You almost never see one that can combine both like she can. Her versatility is her biggest plus.”

Darlin’s Delight is rated the 3-1 second choice on the morning line from post four (head number three) for trainer Jeff Stafford and driver Yannick Gingras. A winner of $2.5 million lifetime, Darlin’s Delight was first or second in 10 of 16 starts in 2008 as she battled divisional champion My Little Dragon throughout the season. She returned from a five-month layoff to race in the Overbid Series and has yet to reach the winner’s circle.

“I didn’t want to go first over with her last week,” Gingras said. “She was in a bad spot. I think she’s sharper now than she’s been at any other point of her career.”

The $50,000 first leg of the Su Mac Lad Series for open trotters is also featured on the Friday night card. Enough Talk, the 2008 Older Horse Trotter of the Year, will make his season’s debut for trainer Peter Kleinhans from post seven (head number one). Coupled in the wagering with Gallantly, he is tabbed as the 5-2 morning line favorite after breezing in 1:54.1 in a morning qualifier last week.

The $132,000 Four Leaf Clover and $104,400 Matt’s Scooter headline the Saturday (March 21) card. The 5-2 morning line favorite in the Four Leaf Clover for older pacers, Rocknroll Band seeks to avenge his narrow defeat in the Exit 16W Final last month from post nine. The Ken Rucker trainee has won six of eight starts in 2009; his only off-the-board finish was the second leg of the Four Leaf Clover. He rallied from ninth at the top of the stretch to finish fourth, just three lengths behind the winner Its That Time in a 1:49.4 mile.

“He finished with a lot of pace last week,” said his regular driver, David Miller. “He was just too far back. It doesn’t matter with this guy; he can do it from on or off the pace. What a great horse to drive. It gives me many more options.”

Hypnotic Blue Chip bids for his fifth straight win and second stakes trophy in the Matt’s Scooter for 3-year-old colt pacers. He will start from post eight (head number six) as the 8-5 morning line favorite for driver Tim Tetrick and trainer Mark Harder. After lowering the stakes record to 1:51.2 in the $82,500 Junior Trendsetter last month, he breezed to victories in both preliminary rounds of the Matt’s Scooter, including a career best 1:50.2 last week. The Matt’s Scooter will be a springboard to the $225,000 Berrys Creek Pace on May 9 for the promising colt.

“I was disappointed Hypnotic Blue Chip didn’t make $200,000 or $300,000 as a 2-year-old,” Harder said. “He didn’t really have any issues. I just didn’t manage him right at the start. He got a couple of tough trips heading into the Woodrow Wilson. I let drivers leave from bad posts. We could have gone on to the Breeders Crown, but we made the decision to shut him down. Now we’re getting some of this early money.”

$123,000 Overbid
HN, PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, 1, Ideal Weather, Ron Pierce, Ron Burke, 5-1
1A, 3, Go On BB, Tim Tetrick, Ron Burke, 5-1
2, 2, Mind Boggling, Eric Goodell, Ross Croghan, 15-1
3, 4, Darlin’s Delight, Yannick Gingras, Jeff Stafford, 3-1
4, 5, Sportsfancy, Brian Sears, Josh Green, 9-2
5, 6, Chancey Lady, John Campbell, Mark Kesmodel, 10-1
6, 7, Ideal Nectarine, David Miller, Ken Rucker, 15-1
7, 8, Cuz She Can, George Brennan, Mark Harder, 15-1
8, 9, Martha Maxine, Andy Miller, Erv Miller, 8-5

$104,400 Matts Scooter
HN, PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, 1, Chasin Racin, John Campbell, George Teague Jr., 2-1
1A, 2, Johnny Z, Brian Sears, George Teague Jr., 2-1
1B, 6, Light Up The Sky, Ron Pierce, George Teague Jr., 2-1
2, 3, Pure Defiancy, David Miller, Ken Rucker, 10-1
3, 4, River Shark, Daniel Dube, Dave Sabatelli, 9-2
4, 5, Ideal Candidate, Andy Miller, George Anthony, 15-1
5, 7, Hurrikane Jon Paul, Yannick Gingras, John McDermott, 15-1
6, 8, Hypnotic Blue Chip, Tim Tetrick, Mark Harder, 8-5
7, 9, Glad To Be Back, George Brennan, Bruce Saunders, 5-1

$132,000 Four Leaf Clover
HN, PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, 1, Camshaft Hanover, Eric Goodell, David Pinkney Jr., 15-1
2, 2, Its That Time, Daniel Dube, Mark Kesmodel, 5-1
3, 3, Allamerican Idol, Brian Sears, Tom Fanning, 10-1
4, 4, Lookout Hanover, George Brennan, Kevin McDermott, 12-1
5, 5, Get Out Of Dodge, Andy Miller, Mark Harder, 10-1
6, 6, Southwestern Dream, John Campbell, Bruce Saunders, 7-2
7, 7, Haverford Hanover, Ron Pierce, Mark Kesmodel, 15-1
8, 8, Lucky Man, Tim Tetrick, Casie Coleman, 9-2
9, 9, Rocknroll Band, David Miller, Ken Rucker, 5-2
10, 10, Dontloseyourdayjob, Yannick Gingras, Monte Gelrod, 20-1