By Dave Little, Meadowlands Media Relations
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Western Joe is one of the top
horses in harness racing right now, and Saturday night at the Meadowlands he
completed his climb to the top of the Big M class ladder with a powerhouse win
in the featured $20,000 Preferred Handicap for pacers.
It only took two months for Western Joe to complete
his meteoric rise. He impressed at the Big M on Nov. 18, taking a non-winners
of $5,000 event in 1:51.1. The Chris Choate trainee then took on the likes of
Downbytheseaside and Fear The Dragon in the Progress Pace at Dover Downs and
performed credibly, finishing fifth in his elimination and fourth in the final.
Since then, he’s been on a roll back at the New Jersey
mile oval.
He had hit the board in four straight starts, winning
two of them against high-range conditioned foes, before his Saturday night
score, which was his most impressive yet.
The 4-year-old son of Western Ideal sprinted up to the
top at the three-eighths and took care of things from there as driver Jim
Marohn Jr. was able to rate the third fraction in :29.1, which left plenty of
fuel in Western Joe’s tank.
A final quarter of :26.2 would leave Bettor’s Edge,
the 3-1 second choice who challenged at three-
quarters, in the winner’s wake,
as Western Joe hit the wire in 1:50.4, 2 lengths in front of Alotbettor N.
Tullow N was third.
Western Joe returned $4.00 to win as the public
choice, winning for the 11th time in 31 starts for owner Anthony J.
Ruggeri.
A LITTLE MORE: The
final two races of the Big M’s Pick 5 wager saw favorites win, but that
didn’t
prevent the bettors from making a score. Those who had the winning combination
of 9-5-2-9-5 were rewarded with a payout of $11,645.50 for a 50-cent bet. The
key to the big hit was 33-1 chance Dr C’s Z Tam, who scored in the wager’s
first leg. … The 20-Cent Survivor Pick 10 result saw one lucky simulcast player
in Maine walk away with $18,404.80. … Corey Callahan drove four winners on the
card. … The Late 20-Cent Jackpot Super High Five failed to result in a
single-ticket winner, upping the carryover to $75,102.54. … All-source wagering
totaled $2,700,774. … Racing resumes at the Big M Friday at 6:35 p.m.
