Trailing by six and a half lengths at the three-quarters and boxed in along the pylons, Pounce K rallied wide through the stretch Monday to capture an opening-leg division of the Ken Weaver Memorial Trot at The Meadows.
Red Falkor took the other $12,500 division of the series for three- and four-year-old colts and geldings, which honors the memory of Ken Weaver, longtime Meadows trainer who was also a fixture at the PA Fairs.
Pounce K was seriously shuffled down the backside, forcing trainer/driver Charlie Norris to wait for clearance in the lane. The three-year-old son of Donato Hanover-Keys La Nina charged home in :29.4 and downed his stablemate, Marvenue, by two lengths and give Norris and owner/breeder Bob Key an exacta sweep. Early leader Mr Fixit Hanover was third.
Red Falkor quarter-poled to the lead for Dave Palone and held off American Loot, another Key-owned horse, by a neck in 2:00.2, with Sambuca third. Becky Zubkoff trains Red Falkor, a four-year-old Allstar Hall-Melt My Heart gelding, for Howard Taylor.
In the $22,500 Filly & Mare Not Listed Preferred/Preferred Handicap Pace, 4-5 favourite Do Me Honor almost waited too long to move but found late racing room and scored in 1:52.2 for Aaron Merriman and owner/trainer Bill Bercury. Countless Gold raced well for second, two and a quarter lengths back, with the hard-used Ole Miss third.
Do Me Honor, a five-year-od daughter of Cheyenne Rei-Do Me Right, now boasts $282,038 in career earnings.
Palone and Brett Miller each drove three winners on the 15-race card.
(The Meadows)