Harness: A throwback night at the Meadowlands

In many ways it felt like the clock had turned back while watching the Meadowlands on May 15. The racing product was superb, the on-track action more than lived up to the hype, and the handle was strong on one of the most enjoyable "non-major-event" programs in memory.

If you could bottle that Saturday night and reproduce it on a consistent basis at every track across North America, harness racing would be in a much better place in the public's eye. Though most people watched and wagered from afar via ADW's or from simulcast locations, it was almost as if something was in the air at the Meadowlands which caused a buzz of excitement.

Of course the return of major stakes horses in the Graduate Series and Cutler Memorial played a role, as did the presence of a number of other top-level performers on a night that featured upper-class racing that you expect to see on a regular basis at the Meadowlands. Along those lines, missing were the bottom-feeder conditions like non-winners-of-$2,500 and the basement TrackMaster classes.

If you didn't tune in for the races live, 12 of the 14 winners scored by one length or less and five races were decided by just a nose. While horses close to the pace of course did well, closers also played a role in the outcome, with eight horses coming from at least fifth at the three-quarter pole to finish in-the-money, and one closing from eighth to win. Seven favorites won, but only three were odds-on and two horses returned over $30 to win.

More than anything, it was the show put on by the horses and drivers which caught my eye. Who wouldn't be excited watching Manchego get parked every step of the mile and grind out a nose victory in the Cutler? It was an epic stretch duel where the Dan Patch Award winner showed her class by overcoming all obstacles.

As magnificent as Manchego was in victory, it was race 11, a non-winners-of-$9,000 conditioned race which remains freshest in my head. Hot Mess Express, a promising 3-year-old pacing filly trained by Tony Alagna for former NBA star Sam Bowie, rallied from eighth at the three-quarter marker to get up at the wire with a 26 2/5 final quarter. It was the type of visually-pleasing finish that can get people excited about the sport. But the key is how we got to the finish line with Hot Mess Express a nose ahead of Kickupyaheels N.

As the gate sped away for race 11 we saw a dinosaur in today's racing as seven of the 10 horses made an attempt to leave. That mass exodus off the gate resulted in four different leaders in the first half of the race and an all-out battle past the half by a fifth horse. The non-stop action paved the way for Hot Mess Express and her late surge.

Race 11 wasn't alone in seeing numerous horses make early moves and perhaps a plea from Meadowlands President Jeff Gural at a recent Task Force meeting was heard. He asked if the drivers could do him the favor of keeping the "holes" closed as a two-week experiment to see what happens with the on-track product.

After watching the replays from Saturday, there were clearly three to five instances where drivers weren't allowed the courtesy of finding a spot along the pylons and either drove on to the lead or raced parked. The result was certainly more aggressive racing overall.

Whether limiting "courtesy tucks" is the answer to more exciting racing is certainly debatable. It certainly leads to more in-race action, which can increase the chances of horses trying to get involved from the back of the pack. My takeaway from the Saturday card is that when drivers make aggressive moves the races are more interesting and those wagering are happier because their horses are "given a shot" to win. That's all anyone who makes a bet can hope for, whether their horse is 3-5 or 25-1, to see their horse in a potential winning position so if they are good enough, a winning ticket is within reach.