DANCINGINTHEDARK M, VENERATE REBOUND IN REYNOLDS AT BIG M

By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – A pair of big-time Hambletonian contenders – Dancinginthedark M and Venerate – bounced back from poor performances when they made breaks with impressive victories Saturday night in the W.N. Reynolds Memorial for 3-year-old trotting colts and geldings at The Meadowlands Saturday night.

Dancinginthedark M ($3.20 as the 3-5 favorite) was moved to the front of the line in his $42,550 split by driver Tim Tetrick before the half and held sway from there as heavy rains fell to record a 1¼-length victory over Take All Comers in a lifetime-best 1:51.4. The Marcus Melander trainee is a son of Readly Express-Leila and is now six-for-11 lifetime.

Venerate (Love You-Peaceful Kemp) had to overcome post nine and a brutal parked-out trip to get his mojo back in the other $43,050 division for males. The winter-book Hambletonian favorite floated away from the gate from post nine and was handled with care by driver Andy Miller around the first turn. Racing first-over he steadily advanced on leader Sonofamistery, the even-money public choice, down the backstretch but lost a little ground off the far turn into the stretch.

After they straightened up for the wire, Venerate began a steady gain once again and kicked into another gear at the sixteenth pole. Nearing the wire, Sonofamistery went off stride, but it likely would not have mattered, as the Julie Miller-trained Venerate ($8.80 as the third betting choice) scored by a half-length in 1:52.1 after a mile that saw him never see the rail. After a brief judges’ inquiry, no action was taken against second-place finisher Sonofamistery.

New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Beltassima ($6.40 as the 2-1 second choice) won the first of two splits for 3-year-old trotting fillies as the daughter of Trixton-Beltane Hanover gunned down Lady Chaos by three-quarters-of-a-length in the $49,050 dash in a lifetime-best 1:52.3 for driver Andy McCarthy and trainer Tony Alagna.

Piper Hanover ($4.80 as the 7-5 favorite) rallied from off the pace to score by 1¾ lengths over Darlene Hanover in 1:53 in the other division for fillies, this one for a purse of $49,550. The Father Patrick-Personal Style miss made it four wins in five seasonal starts for the team of McCarthy and Alagna.