Meadowlands: Lauren Tritton sweeps International Women's Day events

On a night just for the ladies, it was Meadowlands regular Lauren Tritton who stood in front of the class, driving the winners of both dashes that featured fields comprised of female drivers as The Big M celebrated International Women's Day on a foggy Saturday night.

In the first ladies' race, Tritton put Lyleground on the front early by sprinting to the quarter in 27 seconds, and after reaching the half in 56 1/5 and three-quarters in 1:25 4/5, seemingly had things under control, turning for home with a 4 1/2 length edge.

It would not prove to be a safe advantage.

Half Past Midnight, driven by Shannon O'Sullivan, a native Australian now living in Canada, rallied from four-wide with a quarter to go, and after being airborne throughout the stretch drive, came up just a nose short as the 9-5 favorite. Parklane Terror, handled by Helene Engblom, had good late energy to get third.

"My horse had really good form on the front-end," said Tritton. "The horse went really well."

"I stayed out of trouble there (early)," said O'Sullivan of some traffic in the early going. "We came out really well. I wanted to look out for the horse."

Lyleground won the TrackMaster 71 pace in 1:54 1/5 for trainer Ned Urbanski. The 6-year-old gelded son of Artspeak-St Lads Moxie returned $6.40 as the 2-1 second choice in the wagering.

Recognized by many as the top female pilot in North America, Tritton completed her sweep of the IWD events by guiding Ayr Dave GB to a 15 1/4 length blowout score in a TrackMaster 74.5 pace in a lifetime-best 1:51 2/5.

Lew Hauber, driven by Marie Auger, finished second, with Galante A, who was guided by Christina Johnson, getting the show dough.

A total of 17 female drivers competed in the two races.

Ayr Dave GB, trained by Tritton's husband, Shane, returned $4.40 as the 6-5 public choice. The winner is a 5-year-old gelded son of Sweet Lou-Sold Out.

"Tonight, I made an equipment change and he showcased that it worked tonight," said Lauren.

The night was about racing, but Lauren reflected on what the night meant to females in the harness game.

"A credit to all of the ladies. They did a great job tonight," said Lauren. "It's a great showcase for women in such a male-dominated sport. I absolutely love it. It's a privilege that the Meadowlands put on a showcase like this."

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TALENT TAKEOVER: In addition to the ladies' races, an all-female, five-member TV talent team brought the action to viewers.

Debbie Little, the associate editor at Harness Racing Update, hosted the show, which was co-hosted by Meadow Twaddle, the newly-named marketing director of The Meadows Standardbred Owners Association. Heather Wilder, known for many Little Brown Jug and Breeders Crown telecasts, served as paddock interviewer, while horsewoman Kiara Morgan handled the analysis for a nationwide audience on FanDuel TV. Melissa Keith, the track announcer at Rideau Carleton Raceway, called the entire race card.

In addition, trainer Annie Stoebe hosted a live Facebook feed, Mary McDermott was in charge of social media posts and Jessica Hallett was on hand serving in a role she is known for, covering the happenings through a camera lens.

CARRYOVER REPORT: There will be a pair of carryovers awaiting players when racing resumes Friday night.

The $1 PK 8 went unhit for a sixth consecutive offering, upping the carryover to $82,301. Winner's odds for the sequence were 8-5, 9-2, 6-5, 1-5, 6-1, 5-1, 7-2 and 6-1. Those with seven correct collected $1,610.00.

The 20-cent Pick 6 failed to yield a winning ticket for a second straight night. After a sequence where the winner's odds were 5-1, 7-2, 6-1, 9-2, 5-1 and 2-1, those with five correct collected $112.98. The carryover is $20,356.

The $1 PK 8 is available on races three through 10 while the 20-cent Pick 6 is offered on races eight through 13.

A LITTLE MORE: Leading pilot Brett Beckwith led the driver colony with three victories on the night. Chris Height took three walks down victory lane to lead the trainers. All-source betting on the 14-race program totaled $2,562,100. Racing resumes Friday at 6 p.m. (EDT).

--press release (Meadowlands)--