Stratton dominates Big M card

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – He’s well known as one of the top harness racing drivers at Yonkers Raceway, but Jordan Stratton is gaining in popularity with Meadowlands fans these days, and who can blame them after the 35-year-old pilot recorded five wins on the Saturday night (Jan. 28) card.

Stratton, who has been a Big M Saturday evening regular with his home track dark, has been strutting his stuff at the current mile-oval meeting, with 13 wins from just 79 starts. This is not the first big night he’s had, having recorded four wins on the Jan. 7 program.

On Saturday, Stratton scored with Thanos ($6.00 to win) in the fourth race and Mysweetboymax ($21.60) in the eighth before winning three straight beginning in race 11 with Toronto ($8.80), Seriously Hanover ($4.00) and Bizys Beatle ($15.60).

WHITECOOKIE DOESN’T CRUMBLE: Whitecookie (Windfall Blue Chip-Teamtress) found himself in a perfect spot in the feature, and the Ron Burke trainee took advantage of the circumstances to win the $23,000 high-end conditioned pace with ease.

With a pair of scratches reducing the field to five starters, Whitecookie, who got nailed at the wire in each of his last two races, would try it again on the lead, and with only four horses to beat, he did just that in 1:50.4.

The 6-year-old gelding was content to let Runrunjimmydunn N lead at the quarter in :27.4 before Yannick Gingras moved the eventual winner to the point in :55.4. Whitecookie was still moving well when he hit three-quarters in 1:23.2 before reporting home an easy winner, 1½ lengths in front of Captain Fancy. The Claw was third.

As the 3-2 public choice, Whitecookie returned $5.00 to his backers, and in the process, upped his lifetime stats to 21 wins from 86 starts, good for earnings of $275,273.

EIGHT? THAT’S GREAT: Handle broke the $3-million barrier for the eighth time in as many Friday-Saturday tries this year, as Big M bettors pushed $3,199,691 through the windows on the 14-race card.

It’s taken a total of nine programs (there was a Sunday card last week) for the Big M to register eight $3-million nights this year. During 2022, it wasn’t until May 6 that wagering went past the $3-million mark for the eighth time, the 32^nd program of the year.

A LITTLE MORE: A carryover of $6,048 led to $44,217 in “new money” bet into the 20-cent Pick-6 pool, for a grand total of $50,265. Those who cashed walked away with $1,983.10 after winner’s odds were 9-1, 6-5, 3-2, 3-1, 1-1 and 6-1 during the sequence. … Back from his vacation in his homeland of New Zealand, four-time defending Dan Patch Driver of the Year Dexter Dunn won in his first night back at work, scoring with Burnham Boy N ($5.40) in his first drive back in the first race. … Gingras had a driving triple while Jason Bartlett and Andy McCarthy had two apiece. … Chris Ryder, Jeff Cullipher, Travis Alexander and Burke all trained a pair to victory lane. … Racing resumes Sunday at 12:30 p.m., the final non-Friday or Saturday card on the 2023 Big M calendar.

For complete race results, click here.

by Dave Little, for The Meadowlands