Luke’s Bar is a lightly raced 5-year-old who is starting to put it all together. The gelded son of Bar Hopping-Lukes Sophie won for the second time in his last three starts Friday night at The Meadowlands, taking the $17,500 featured high-end conditioned trot in 1:55.2, equaling the lifetime best he established two starts ago ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- March 8, 2025 -- Luke’s Bar is a lightly raced 5-year-old who is starting to put it all together. The gelded son of Bar Hopping-Lukes Sophie won for the second time in his last three starts Friday night at The Meadowlands, taking the $17,500 featured high-end conditioned trot in 1:55.2, equaling the lifetime best he established two starts ago.
“Off a helmet or on a helmet, he gives you a good effort,” said winning driver Patrick Ryder. “He gave me a good run in the stretch.”
Unhurried at the start, Luke’s Bar sat fifth to the half after 4-1 third choice Pisces Rising hit the quarter in :28.4 and half in :58.1. Over a track playing to closers, Ryder activated Luke’s Bar with a half-mile to go and steadily made his way toward the leader racing uncovered on the rim.
The eventual winner was up to Pisces Rising’s wheel at three-quarters, which was timed in 1:26.4, and with the entirety of the stretch still to come, Luke’s Bar had no trouble wearing down Pisces Rising to win by 1¼ lengths. The pocket-sitting 5-2 second choice Rocket Man Hill outkicked Pisces Rising in the race for place.
“I knew I didn’t want to be on the front,” said Ryder. “My options were mid-pack or move to the front. I was at the mercy of the pace they were going. I pulled him at the half because I was afraid they were going a little slow. I wanted to keep David [Miller, driving Rocket Man Hill] in the two-hole.”
Luke’s Bar, who is trained by Patrick’s dad, Chris, returned $3.60 to win as the 4-5 public choice. He now has four wins from 13 career starts, good for earnings of $105,523 for owner Anthony Timmins.
A LITTLE MORE: Brett Beckwith tied atop the driver colony with three winners on the program, giving the 22-year-old 2024 Dan Patch Rising Star Award winner 15 over the last five cards. His 32 victories have him tied atop The Big M standings with Jason Bartlett. … In addition to guiding the winner of the feature, Patrick Ryder also made three winner’s circle visits, which included 40-1 shot Make It Big in the 14thrace. … Winning players in the 20-cent Survivor Pick-7 had big smiles on their faces after exchanging their tickets – with six winning selections – for $5,288.82 after a sequence that saw winner’s odds of 11-1, 3-1, 7-2, 9-2, 5-1, 4-5 and 3-1. … All-source handle totaled $2,753,001 on the 14-dash card. … Racing resumes Saturday at 6:20 p.m. as International Women’s Day will be celebrated at The Big M. An all-female broadcast crew will cover the action all night long, and the fifth race is a one-mile dash that will feature all women drivers.