EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – A “mamba” is a group of snakes known for their speed and powerful venom. The horse of the same name struck fatally at the wire on Saturday night at The Meadowlands, recording a win in the harness races at the posted handicap pace of $40,000-$60,000 for a purse of $19,000.
Despite the fact that Mamba (Dear Lou) as the heavy favorite had won twice in a row, student Joe Bongiorno was sent to the gate as the 12-1 fifth choice in the betting, having not raced since December 13.
But driver Vinny Ginsburg raced with confidence after speaking with his trainer.
“I talked to Joe a little while before and he said the horse had missed a little bit of time and if I could get him close on the outside with a lot of speed and just keep him dug in, he’d be really good off on that kind of trip,” Ginsburg said.
The field had a handful of speedballs and they put on an electric display early on as Sun Of A Show, Mamba, Effingham and Boston Bound all quickly cleared for early position. Ginsburg backed Mamba behind Sun Of A Show as Effingham sprinted to take the lead in the quarter in a scintillating :26.3, leaving Boston Bound parked for the second week in a row.
There was no respite for Effingham as Boston Bound were alongside to challenge at half-time in a blistering: 53.4 on a night when temperatures were anything but, with a real 10 degree feel.
Effingham shrugged off Boston Bound and had the point at three-quarters in 1:22, but was now a tired horse. Sun Of A Show, the 2-1 favorite, jumped out of the pocket as they set up at the start of the stretch, allowing Mamba to advance along the rail. In deep ground, Ginsburg found just enough room for Mamba, and the 6-year-old gelding son of Sweet Lou-Loving Caroline powered through the inside with plenty of pace to score by three-quarters of a length over a bouncy Sun Of A Show in 1:51.1.
MAMBA REPEAT
Soho Santorini A came third.
“Luckily, by the skin of my teeth, it opened up a little bit and it worked,” Ginsburg said. “It was definitely loaded. I was praying for a little space.”
Mamba has now won 16 times from 99 lifetime outings, netting a profit of $361,964 for owners Bongiorno, Glenn Goller and Stephen Demeter. He paid $26.20 to win.
BIG PICK-6 POOL TISSUES: Twenty-cent Pick-6 players will have a nice pot to shoot for when racing resumes Friday evening, as no winning tickets were sold on the bet, leaving a carryover of $7,802.
The winner’s odds for the series were 12-1, 5-1, 4-1, 3-1, 5-2 and 15-1. Those with five correct selections collected $1,503.54.
A LITTLE MORE: Five drivers combined to win 13 of the 14 races on the card, while Ridge Warren led the way with four wins. He was followed by Ginsburg (three), Colin Kelly (two), Brett Beckwith (two) and Braxten Boyd (two). … Eddie Sager led the trainers and strolled through victory lane three times. … The amount from all sources was $3,379,086, the first time betting has broken the $3 million mark at Big M – and the entire sport – in 2026. … Sunday’s race program has been canceled due to the impending snowstorm. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:20 p.m
For full race results, click here: American trotting results
Through Dave Kleinfor The Meadowlands
#Mamba #creates #toxic #finish