Meadowlands: Saulsbrook Victor dethrones Mad Max Hanover

Saulsbrook Victor used a fast third quarter to maintain the lead before holding on for dear life in a thrilling finish in the Saturday night feature at the Meadowlands, and in the process, foiled Mad Max Hanover's bid for a fifth straight score.

The start of the $25,000 winners-over pace saw Huntinthelastdolar, Saulsbrook Victor and Write Me A Rose battle for the lead around the first turn as even-money favorite Mad Max Hanover took up the chase wide before finding a spot along the inside.

After Huntinthelastdolar took them past the quarter in 27 1/5, driver Brett MacDonald, who recently decided to try racing on a consistent basis at Woodbine Mohawk Park, moved Saulsbrook Victor to the top before hitting the half in a demanding 54 1/5 as Mad Max Hanover, who sat in the four-hole early, vacated the rail and started to edge closer to the leader on the rim.

Just after the five-eighths, Mad Max Hanover appeared to stall a bit before Saulsbrook Victor went past three-quarters in 1:21 2/5. It appeared that blazing 27 1/5 third panel had done the trick.

"Brett [Beckwith, driving Mad Max Hanover] didn't get to me until late on the last turn," said MacDonald. "I said, 'well, we'll see how it goes.' Max had been out a long way, and when I put him away, I thought he was gone. And then he came back on."

Saulsbrook Victor paced clear of 'Max' when they straightened away for the stretch drive, but Mac's Delight now joined the fray three-wide as Mad Max Hanover once again started to chip away at the leader's advantage.

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It looked for a moment like Mad Max Hanover would win again, but the wire came just in time for Saulsbrook Victor, who held on by a nose in 1:50. Mac's Delight was third.

As if beating the best horse in training at The Big M wasn't enough, the win was the first at the Meadowlands for MacDonald, who is the owner of Saulsbrook Victor.

"It's one of those places you definitely want to win a race at," said MacDonald. "It's a big thing to win a race here."

Saulsbrook Victor, a 7-year-old gelded son of Source Of Pride-Atlanta Girl who is trained by MacDonald's dad, Ronald, upped his lifetime stats to 30 wins from 117 starts, good for earnings of $491,938.

As the 6-1 third choice in the wagering, he paid $14 to win.

A LITTLE MORE: Todd McCarthy and Jason Bartlett tied for top driver of the night with three winners each. Jeff Cullipher was the top trainer with a pair of victories. All-source betting on the 14-race card totaled $3,208,415. Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m.

--press release (Meadowlands)--