Silent Crossing upset causes Pick 8 carryover

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – With a sequence that saw five consecutive harness racing favorites score starting in the second leg, it appeared that the 20-cent Pick-8 would finally yield a winning ticket at The Meadowlands Friday night.

But as it turned out, after 5-1 shot Silent Crossing (Captaintreacherous-Freedom Crossing) took the 10^th race, the Pick-8 was assured of carrying over for an eighth consecutive race card without having to see who won the 11^th dash.

Those with seven winning selections cashed in for $994.12.

The carryover for Saturday is sure to stir a lot of interest for big and small players alike, as a total of $84,673 will be in the pool before any “new money” is put in play.

“This is the type of excitement we were hoping for when we added the Pick-8 to our betting menu,” said Big M Chief Operating Officer and General Manager Jason Settlemoir. “The total pool on Saturday night will be well over $100,000 with a huge negative takeout, the type of scenario that multi-leg players go for in a big way. If we attract $40,000 in new money, players will be betting into a pool that will return just under 300 percent in the event that there are winning tickets.”

The Pick-8 sequence spans races four through 11. Free past performances for every race of every Meadowlands race card are available by going to playmeadowlands.com.

SILENT CROSSING SCORES: In the $17,000 feature, a non-winners of $12,500 for fillies and mares on the pace, Silent Crossing came from off the pace to score in 1:52.

“She is a hard-trying mare that appreciated the acclimating mile [when third with better foes] last week,” said winning driver Tyler Miller.

Silent Crossing, a 4-year-old mare, sat a pocket trip most of the way, but had to race wide to escape some traffic in mid-stretch before going on to a 1¼-length score over 5-2 favorite Probert.

“When we found room in the lane,” said Miller. “She knew it was time to go and she paced through the wire for the win.”