The Meadows: Stallion Series finals hit the track Friday

A total of $320,000 in purses will be up for grabs Friday when Hollywood Casino at The Meadows hosts $40,000 Pennsylvania Stallion Series championships in all eight divisions. The finals go as races 3-10 on the 13-race card — the final twilight program of the season — beginning at 5:10 PM.

Scores of 2- and 3-year-olds have competed in four preliminary legs, yet several trainers have dominated. Ron Burke will send out 12 horses in the eight championships while Nifty Norman will be represented by seven finalists. Among his group, Norman touts freshman filly trotter Sambuca Hanover as one to watch. She captured all three stallion series divisions in which she competed, taking a mark of 1:55 3/5 — fastest in the field.

“She’s big and strong, and she gets around the track well,” Norman says. “I don’t think she’s made a mistake all year. She won her last start at Pocono, and it looks like she won easily.”

The daughter of Bar Hopping-Snow Angel Hanover goes from post 5, race 3 with Dave Palone driving for owners David McDuffee, Melvin Hartman and Paul Bordogna. Norman, by the way, can be forgiven if he’s a bit distracted Friday, as he also has nine horses in the New Jersey Classic finals and consolations at the Meadowlands.

To heighten the excitement, The Meadows will offer a Stallion Series Pick-8, which will begin in race 3 and span all the championships, with a $5,000 guarantee courtesy the track, the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association and the United States Trotting Association Strategic Wagering Initiative. The Pick-8 features a 20-cent base wager and a low takeout of 15 percent.

The track offered a Pick-8 — for the first time ever — on this year’s Adios Day, with quite interesting results. While favorites dominated the eight races, only two players correctly picked all eight. Each was rewarded with a handsome $6,375 payout, an indication that Friday’s Pick-8 will be well supported.

-edited release (Evan Pattak for MSOA)