McWicked, the even-money
favorite, finished second and Filibuster Hanover was third.
Filibuster Hanover led the
field to the opening quarter in :26.1 before All Bets Off got to the front and
reached the half in :54.4. Miso Fast challenged All Bets Off as they reached
three-quarters in 1:21, with McWicked on the move three wide on the final turn.
The field hit the mile in 1:48.2.
Western Joe was second behind
Filibuster Hanover around the first turn and remained inside, shuffling between
fifth and sixth place, before the stretch.
“I didn’t know what was going
to happen,” winning driver Scott Zeron said. “He’s the type of horse that can
always leave for position and just stay in. I don’t think re-moving would have
been the right option. At that time, sitting third on the rail with the kind of
speed we were going up the backside and around the last turn was perfect. He
runs out a little bit, so when I was able to feed him racetrack to the outside,
I knew he was going to get up.”
Western Joe, a 4-year-old
stallion trained by Chris Choate, is a son of Western Ideal out of Ante Fay. He
has won nine of 22 races this year and 18 of 51 in his career. His lifetime
earnings are $462,655 for breeder/owner Anthony Ruggeri and Richard Tosies.
Sent off at 5-2, Western Joe
paid $7.60, $3.00, and $2.80. McWicked paid $2.80 and $2.60. Filibuster Hanover
paid $5.40.
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 in 2017.
