First Big M wins for Boyd

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – Maybe Meadowlands harness racing management will have a new promotion and call it “Friday is Kid’s Night”.

One week after 20-year-old Luke Hanners scored a driving double to win his first races ever at The Big M, 21-year-old Braxten Boyd took his turn Friday night, recording his first two career visits to the mile oval’s winner’s circle.

A Michigan native, Boyd, who had 139 career victories entering the night, recorded his first Meadowlands win in the seventh race behind even-money favorite Mr McDreamy in a TrackMaster 73.5 or less pace, parking out all comers when under siege heading for three-quarters before reporting home a 2-length winner in 1:53.3 for trainer Owen Eiler Jr.

MR MCDREAMY REPLAY

The young pilot, who has been driving regularly of late at Monticello and Tioga Downs, came right back in the next race and hit the winner’s circle with 3-1 third choice Jumping Jake for trainer Thomas DiCenzo after vaulting three-wide off cover at the three-quarter-mile marker to win by a length. The time for the mile in the non-winners of $3,500 pace was 1:52.

“I’m fantastic,” said Boyd when asked how he was feeling at night’s end. “These are the biggest wins of my career by far. Any wins are great. But winning here? You watch these races as a kid and you hope you would get to drive one here, let alone win one. When I crossed the wire [with Mr McDreamy] I got goosebumps all over my body. It was a feeling I never thought I would experience.”

WALNER’S A WINNER: The hot trotting sire in New Jersey is Walner, and his progeny were on fire in New Jersey Sire Stakes action for 2-year-olds, taking six of the seven $25,000 leg one divisions on the betting card.

His winners included a three-race sweep of the filly divisions with Brickhouse Babe (Mark MacDonald driving for trainer Ray Schnittker) in 1:56, Penelope J (Scott Zeron, Linda Toscano) in 1:55.1 and Venerable (Dave Miller, Nifty Norman) in 1:54.4.

Walner colts who reigned supreme were Majestic J (Miller, Tony Alagna) in 1:56.2, King Of The North (MacDonald, Schnittker) in 1:55.4 and Temporal Hanover (Tim Tetrick, Marcus Melander) in 1:56.

The lone non-Walner winning sire was Muscle Hill, whose colt Looks Like Moni scored in 1:56.1 for Tetrick and Nancy Takter.

‘VINTAGE’ OFFSPRING GREAT: Before the betting card, a pair of first leg $20,000 NJSS divisions for 2-year-olds on the pace were contested and Great Vintage sired both winners.

Not So Evil took the filly division in 1:57.4 for driver Pat Berry and trainer Traci Berry while Vintage Valentino was victorious in the split for colts and geldings. ‘Valentino’ is a colt who was driven by Yannick Gingras and trained by John Urbanski who stopped the clock in 1:57.2.

A LITTLE MORE: Boyd, MacDonald, Miller and Tetrick all drove two winners on the card while Schnittker and Norman both trained a pair to victory lane. … One shrewd player betting into the Maine hub held the lone winning ticket in the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 and cashed in for $7,919. … All-source handle on the 13-race card totaled $2,690,444. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m.

For full race results, click here.

by Dave Little, for The Meadowlands