A serious final half battle brewed between the Burke-trained barnmates in Monday’s $322,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial at Harrington Raceway, and when the dust settled
it was Won The West who came out on top.
The five-year-old son of Western Hanover-Gabrielle survived a first-over trip en route to posting a gusty victory for an ambidextrous David Miller, who urged the pacer left handed through the lane.
Mister Big sprung off the wings and touched down on the front-end, but he was quickly looped by the pole position-sitter, Foiled Again. That Burke pupil had them lined up behind him at the quarter pole in :27.3, and he was still on top at the mid-way point in :57.4.
Won The West was first-over at that point for Miller, who sprinted across the backstretch and pushed Foiled Again to the three-quarter pole in 1:26. They continued to slug it out around the final turn and then halfway down the lane before Won The West inched away in the closing strides. Foiled Again held on for the runner-up award and third prize went to Mister Big.
“Coming into the race I thought we were racing for second,” said Miller. “You know Foiled Again has got the rail and I figured he’d dictate the pace and have his own. My horse is a grinder and he can take the air. I knew when I kept up with him in the last turn I figured I had a pretty good chance of catching him.”
The victory was the fifth of the season in 21 trips postward for Won The West, who is owned by Ohioans William Robinson, Strollin Stable and James Findlay. It was the 25th lifetime tally for the pacer, who surpassed $2 million in career earnings with the win.
(With quotes from Harrington Raceway)