East Rutherford, NJ --- The Presidential traditionally is the first major Free For All stakes of the harness racing season. Last year it was captured by Golden Receiver, who would go on to a near $1 million campaign.
If the first two weeks are any indication, Golden Receiver is poised for another big year.
Following his 1:48.4 performance in the Free For All last week, Golden Receiver put up a 1:49 tour de force in round one of The Presidential.
Following a year that saw Tim Tetrick drive many champions, his 2013 already shows similar potential with the fleet of foot Golden Receiver.
His competition in the series may come from Versado, whose 1:49.4 performance was made even more impressive by the fact that he won just two days ago in the feature race at Dover. Trainer Nick Surick thought he had another big race in him.
“I told Andy (Miller) that he warmed up better tonight than he did on Thursday and just drive him like he was the best and he will get there,” Surick said.
Versado held-off the classy Dial Or No Dial by a nose after setting the pace.
Round two of The Presidential Series will be raced next Saturday.
It was another successful night at the windows in East Rutherford. The total handle for Saturday was $2,890,130, an increase of 17 percent from the same Saturday in 2012.
Racing will resume on Thursday and feature the second round of The Super Bowl Series for trotters, featuring three divisions with full fields. The second round of The Clyde Hirt Series will be contested on Friday, with The Presidential Series set for its second round on Saturday.
For more information log onto meadowlandsracetrack.com.