‘TYPHOON’ BLOWS FIELD AWAY AT BIG M

Sunday, April 5, 2026

Typhoons can produce destructive winds that exceed 150 miles per hour, and while the Joe Bongiorno trained and driven Typhoon Banner N comes nowhere near that speed at his fastest, his incredible early foot got him into perfect position Saturday night when he won the featured $19,000 claiming handicap for a third time in his last four tries.

Departing from post seven in the nine-horse field with horses in for a tag of no less than $40,000 and no more than $60,000, Typhoon Banner N was quick as a cat at the start, making his way to the top out of turn one and hitting the quarter in :27. Water Sports Teen, in search of a third straight score, then sprinted his way to the lead while “Typhoon” sat in the pocket as Water Sports Teen hit the half in :55.2.

As the field made its way toward the far turn, Sinbad N was now on the scene, racing first-over and providing pressure to the leader. Water Sports Teen – who reached three-quarters in 1:23.3 – did manage to shrug off Sinbad N turning into the lane, but Bongiorno had plenty of horse in the pocket, finding room mid-stretch before Typhoon Banner N sprinted home to a decisive three-quarter-length victory in 1:50.3. Southwind Gendry, the 2-1 favorite, came from the back of the pack to rally for second. Water Sports Teen held third.

“He took last week off, but he’s been sharp,” said Bongiorno. “I just have too many horses for the same class. It never hurts a horse to give him the week off. He got locked in on the cones in his last start (when third two weeks ago).

“(Post position) doesn’t matter with this horse. They can’t out leave this horse. He’s probably the fastest I’ve ever driven off the car. We’ll keep racing him hard. He loves his job showing up week after week.”

A 10-year-old gelded son of Bettor’s Delight, Typhoon Banner N raised his lifetime stats to 32 wins from 115 starts, good for earnings of $601,055 for owners Phillip Steinberg, JB Racing and Barbara Bongiorno Stable. He paid $9.80 after going to the gate as the 7-2 second choice.

KIARA CRUSHES: Kiara Morgan was back on the Meadowlands’ talent scene for the first time in four weeks, giving her analysis of the races on the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed, and her followers had big smiles on their faces after playing along with her in the Early 50-cent Pick-4.

Her picks were also available on X at @themeadowlands.

Morgan’s $32 ticket included Art Of Revenge ($14.40 to win) in the sixth race; Funtime Bayama ($3) in the seventh; Dance Partner ($23.80) in the eighth; and Typhoon Banner ($9.80) in the ninth.

The payoff of $557 gave her fans a profit of $525.

A LITTLE MORE: The $1 PK 8 went unhit for a third consecutive offering, upping the carryover to $61,106. … Jason Bartlett was the top dog of the driving colony after racking up four wins on the night. … Ron Burke topped the trainers with a pair of victories. … All-source betting on the 14-race program totaled $2,667,679. … Racing resumes Friday at 6:35 p.m.

PHOTO: Typhoon Banner N and driver Joe Bongiorno won the Saturday night feature at The Meadowlands for the third time in his last four tries. (Credit: Lisa Photo)