Meadows notebook: Twaddle-trained horse makes winning debut
Meadows notebook
Ohio-bred Lou Armstrong made an impressive debut late last month, winning the 2-year-old colt trot Pop-Up Series at The Meadows in 1:56.1.
Driver Anthony MacDonald and local trainer Tim Twaddle have high hopes for the freshman.
With good reason, Twaddle said.
“He was really good in that race,” Twaddle stated. “I can’t take credit for him. He’s been at Northfield (Ohio) with those guys and Anthony’s people over there all winter. So, they broke him and trained him down. I got him last month to school and qualify him and race. Obviously, he’s a very gifted horse. He’s gone back to Ohio now. He’s stabled at Northfield.”
Ironically, a Meadows connection, driver Mike Wilder, helped best Lou Armstrong last weekend at Sciotto Downs in Ohio in one of the four Next Generation for freshman sired horses.
Wilder drove Commanders Moni, 10-1, to victory in 1:55.1. He sat in third behind Lou Armstrong out of the gate and watched the leader set the fractions in 28 seconds and 57.2 seconds.
Wilder held Commanders Moni in third through three-quarters in 1:25, pulled and won by two lengths over Satan’s Fury and Sweet T’s Ranger. Lou Armstrong finished third but was placed back for going inside multiple pylons.
Because Commanders Moni is Ohio bred and races a lot in the Buckeye state, Wilder isn’t his predominate driver. But the Meadows owner/driver and the horse seem to be a good team.
As for Lou Armstrong hopes remain high for the owners of The Stable.
“He’s very natural,” Twaddle said. “He’s well-mannered, just a very nice horse.”
Wanna bet
The Meadows announced Tuesday a new guaranteed pool wager that will be featured during the Adios Day card Saturday, July 25.
The Adios Pick-3 will culminate in the $350,000 final of the Grade 1 Delvin Miller Adios Pace for the Orchids, presented by 1/ST BET.
The wager will feature a 15 percent takeout and a $3 minimum, and the pool will be guaranteed to $10,000.
“This is just the first of many announcements we will have regarding the wagering menu of our Adios Day card,” said Michael Carter, Director of Racing. “We believe the 15 percent takeout on this Adios Pick-3 should be attractive to horse players, and the $3 minimum should add some extra intrigue to the wager.”
Post time for The Adios card is 11:30 a.m.
Handle this
The Meadows soared July 2 to a single-day handle record of more than $1.68 million. For the four days of racing July 1-4, more than $4 million in handle was recorded on The Meadows live races.
Meadowlands Pace
The Burke Racing Stable, Fredericktown, and Hall of Fame trainer Ron Burke will send four 3-year-old pacers to post Saturday in the final of the $810,000 Grade 1, 50th Meadowlands Pace at The Meadowlands in East Rutherford, NJ.
That group includes Lindy Dragonwater (20-1) from post No. 3, Melillo (10-1) from post 5, Al Papi (10-1) from post 8 and Ubrute (15-1) from post 10.
Mark Weaver, a member of the Burke ownership group, said four in the finals gives the stable a chance at the “big money.”
“It’s pretty good. I think it’s a wide-open crop this year,” Weaver said. “I don’t think anybody’s that much better than anyone else, so a lot of it maybe comes down to who gets the best trip.
“Al Papi drew post 8 and Ubrute the 10, which is not ideal, especially 10. So, maybe Melillo, just because he’s been consistent and he’s got the No. 5 post.”
Weaver added that Melillo, Al Papi, and Ubrute are “all right there knocking on the door and could be good, if things went their way.”
The favorite in the race is Brandon Blvd at 3-5 with Dexter Dunn driving from post 2. The horse has earned $949,451 in 15 career starts and has won three of five starts this season. Brandon Blvd won the $71,429 elimination last weekend in 1:47.3.
Sweet Lovin Lou is the Morning Line second choice at 6-1 with Scott Zeron driving from post 7.
Meadows track announcer Jeff Zidek contributed to this story.