Sun Of A Show displayed wicked speed at both ends of his mile Saturday night at The Meadowlands to pull off a mild upset in the featured $19,000 claiming handicap for pacers in for a tag of no less than $40,000 and no more than $60,000 ...
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ -- March 21, 2026 -- Sun Of A Show displayed wicked speed at both ends of his mile Saturday night at The Meadowlands to pull off a mild upset in the featured $19,000 claiming handicap for pacers in for a tag of no less than $40,000 and no more than $60,000.
Departing from post five in the seven-horse field, driver Braxten Boyd had Sun Of A Show on the go, grabbing the lead out of the first turn. He held a slight edge on 3-2 second choice Typhoon Banner N at the quarter in a sizzling :26 before that foe took the point.
Bettors Donttell, the even-money favorite, motored up on the rim to take the lead at the half, which was timed in :54.3, but there would be no peace for the leader, as Mamba and Komodo Beach sprinted up into contention at the five-eighths racing 1-2 on the rim as Bettors Donttell clung to a narrow advantage at three-quarters in 1:24.1.
At this point, Sun Of A Show was an afterthought, racing along the rai with nowhere to go in the three-hole, but as the field turned for home, Boyd moved his horse off the rail and into the fray. With a little more than a sixteenth-of-a-mile to go, ‘Sun’ found room and was swung out to the five path and displayed explosive late pace to grab the win by 1¾ lengths in 1:51.3. Komodo Beach rallied off a live second-over tow to finish second with Typhoon Banner N holding on for third.
“I had to use him a little harder off the gate than I was hoping and so I wasn’t really planning on coming back first-up once that happened, I was just kind of hoping I could find a seam,” said Boyd. “We got a little bit of a seam and boy did he ever explode today. He really appreciated me burying him until the top of the stretch. He can leave the gate in 25 seconds and then he can come home in 27. That’s a pretty good weapon to have.”
Sun Of A Show, a 10-year-old gelding by Sunfire Blue Chip-Star Of Show who is trained by Tee Wine, paid $14.20 to win as the 6-1 third choice in the wagering. Owned by the Wine Stable, he now has 46 wins from 209 career starts, good for earnings of $545,312.
CARRYOVER REPORT: The stage was set for the $1 PK 8, which sported a carryover of just over $100,000, to get hit, but for an 11th consecutive offering, the wager did not yield a winning ticket.
Heading into the 10th race – which is the payoff leg – it seemed like a handful of players had set themselves up to get paid. There were $3 of live tickets with even-money favorite Bettors Donttell and $2 of action on 3-2 second choice Typhoon Banner N, who was in search of a third straight score.
But after 6-1 chance Sun Of A Show stormed home to take the featured event, only tickets with seven correct selections were redeemable. The payout was $371.10.
When racing resumes Friday, the carryover will be $108,452.
Winner’s odds for the sequence were 4-1, 4-5, 1-1, 4-1, 7-5, 5-2, 1-5 and 6-1.
The 20-cent Pick-6 had a carryover of $4,444 that motivated punters to pour $38,242 of “new money” into the pot. After a sequence that saw winner’s odds of 5-2, 1-5, 6-1, 9-2, 6-5 and 1-2, those with winning tickets cashed in for $942.84.
The $1 PK 8 is offered nightly on races three through 10 while the 20-cent Pick-6 is available on dashes eight through 13.
LOEBS A GRAND WINNER: Sean Loebs, who won the 2025 Meadowlands Handicapping $10,000 final and the first prize of $5,000 that went with it, has put himself in a position to repeat.
Loebs made an early score by hitting the 20-cent Pick-5 (which paid $294.48) twice, and easily held on to the lead from there, finishing the night with a bankroll of $1,170 to take third leg of the $1,000 monthly challenge. Players start the night with $100 to play with.
Ken Belhumer made a huge score in the 14th and final race of the night by hitting the Pick-3 ten times, the late double 25 times, to go along with $20 to win on a 7-2 shot as well as having a $4 ticket on the exacta to finish the competition with $928. Thus, in addition to taking home their contest earnings, Loebs and Belhumer also took down the cash prizes of $500 and $250, respectively, as well.
By finishing 1-2, Loebs and Belhumer have qualified for the year-end, invitation-only test, where just 22 entries (based on two for the 11 preliminary legs) will be eligible to go for the $10,000 in cash prizes.
The big-money final takes place on Dec. 12, while the fourth $1,000 leg is slated for April 17.
A LITTLE MORE: Joe Bongiorno completed an incredible weekend, as the 32-year-old pilot cinched a second straight Driver of the Week Award with 10 victories after winning five races on both Friday and Saturday. His 30 wins for the year now have him tied for third in the Big M standings. … All-source betting on the 14-race card totaled $2,956,059. … Racing resumes Friday at 6 p.m.
