By Ken Weingartner
EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – August 7, 2017 - Check Six was
charging hard in the lane, propelling the four-year-old
stallion to a 38-1 surprise in Saturday’s $224,400 Sam McKee Memorial for older
male pacers by two lengths over Mel Mara in 2:02.1 for the extended distance of
1-1/8 miles at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Mach
It So finished third.
Mel
Mara was sent to the early lead, with All Bets Off second and Rock N’ Roll
World third. He led the field to the opening quarter in 26.2, half in 54.1 and
three-quarters in 1:21.1. Mach It So launched a first-over bid for the lead as
the group hit the mile in 1:48.1, with Check Six following his cover.
In
the stretch, Check Six and driver Yannick Gingras fanned three-wide and powered to victory.
Check
Six has won two of 12 races this year and 17 of 45 in his career, with earnings
of $1.38 million. The son of Somebeachsomewhere-Southwind Vanna is trained by
Ron Burke and owned by Burke Racing, the partnership of Mark Weaver and Mike
Bruscemi, Bill Switala, and Jim Martin.
“I
thought I had a chance to get a good piece,” Gingras said. “I thought this
horse has a lot of bad luck. The last time he raced here he had post 11 and he
never saw daylight. I was running over top of horses in the stretch. He’s had a
lot of troubled trips, but I thought he was sitting on a big one and he was.”
Check
Six paid $79.00, $23.80 and $8.60. Mel Mara paid $3.20 and $2.60. Mach It So
paid $3.00.
The
McKee Memorial, formerly the U.S. Pacing Championship, honors the late
Meadowlands Racetrack announcer and Communicators Hall of Fame member Sam
McKee, who passed away earlier this year.
