Meadowlands: Charlie May captures William R. Haughton Memorial

Looks like Meadowlands Pace night is Charlie May's night as well following a spectacular pylon-skimming performance by the 5-year-old in Saturday's $444,000 William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands on Saturday.

Charlie May and driver David Miller overcame post nine at the outset by leaving boldly and circling horses. Meanwhile, Allywag Hanover and Todd McCarthy jetted to the front quickly and paced a 26 second first quarter, allowing Charlie May to tuck inside as Ruthless Hanover and Tim Tetrick waited for the dust to settle while parked before moving to the front off the first turn.

Once in front Ruthless Hanover had no time to rest, as Andrew McCarthy moved Abuckabett Hanover with aggression on the
backstretch, seeking to get control of the race. Ruthless Hanover and Tetrick accelerated to keep Abuckabett Hanover parked, and the pair hit the half in 52 4/5 before continuing to duel through the third quarter. Behind them, Bythemissal and Yannick Gingras ranged into contention and rallied wide on the final turn, followed by Tattoo Artist.

At three-quarters in 1:19 4/5 the leaders had been softened and Allywag Hanover slipped from the pocket to attack. Bythemissal was wide but was flattening out for Gingras, but Dexter Dunn had Tattoo Artist revved up, and he paced over the field with quickness in the late stages. Miller had plenty of horse with Charlie May along the pylons, too, but had to wait for Ruthless Hanover to clear a path before moving with purpose in mid-stretch. Charlie May rallied boldly to equal his lifetime-best 1:47 1/5 mile, capturing the race as a 31-1 outsider. Tattoo Artist settled for second with Ruthless Hanover brave in third and Allywag Hanover fourth.

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Owned by bred by Don R. Tiger, Charlie May is trained by Steve Carter and won for just the first time in six tries in 2023. Charlie May paid $64.40 to win.

"The trip worked out perfectly," said Miller following the victory. "Ruthless Hanover got a little bumpy and that opened the rail for me."