Winning races is nothing new to Billy “Zeke” Parker, Jr.
He’s won plenty—11044 at last count—and what helped him add to his totals was
the five winners he drove yesterday (Sept 19) at Monticello Raceway.
Parker didn’t start his assault until the third race
when he scored with Danby Racing Stables, Charismatic ($7.70) in 1:58.2. He
came right back in the next race and won with Tom Stamper’s 3 year year old
trotter, R J’s Striker ($12.20) in 2:01.1.
Victory number three was with Diana Bartells’ trotter, Batu
Khan, ($6.00) in 2:01.3. He then won with Ron Caouette’s Allamerican Master
($12.60) in 1:56.1 and capped the day with a 1:59.2 trotting victory with
Richard Ruffles Hardrock Kid (($3.50).
“I f I didn’t get caught in behind a breaking horse at the
top of the stretch in the first race yesterday I might’a (sic) had
six winners,” Parker said.
All told yesterday, Zeke had three seconds to go along
with his five driving victories but his 166 wins trails Bruce Aldrich,
Jr. and Jimmy Marohn, Jr. on the local leaderboard.
Save for his five bagger a few weeks ago it was one of the
bigger days this year for the bearded wonder who now is sixth all-time in
races won in North America.
Recently when Parker was approaching Walter
Case, Jr. in lifetime races won he expressed mixed feelings about
moving ahead of Case and yesterday he expressed why he felt that way.
“I know we’re both Mainers and we’ve always been close
friends but when he was a kid Casey used to work for me at Lewiston
Raceway,” Parker explained. “He had a great desire to drive and couldn’t
wait to start. He’s a great talent and I still feel bad that he’s not driving
now. “
However, Parker who’ll be 60 years old on September 24th
has nothing to be ashamed about. Since coming to the Mighty M in 1984 he
has garnered 18 driving titles here to go along with the many he won in
his native New England prior to his move to the Mighty M.
“I won the driving title at Foxboro (Raceway) in 1983
and saw how good Casey (Walter Case Jr.) did at Monticello that year so I
decided that I’d make a move,” he explained. “ I had my own stable and I
was driving for Colen Mosher and both he and I picked up stakes and moved to
Monticello.
“I got off to a good start and being a country boy I liked
the surroundings so I made up my mind to stay here. And I’m glad I did.”
Parker is still every bit as lethal in the sulky as he
was in seasons past and time has yet to catch up with
him.
“As I get older I’m not as concerned about statistics as I
was when I was younger,” he said. “After all I’ve been through in my life I’m
just happy to still be driving horses.”
