If you were asked to come up with the name of a horse custom made for half-mile track racing, you could make a very strong argument for the square-gaited sensation named Merited Victory
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A relative newcomer to the stable of trainer Rick Zeron, Merited Victory laid a Tuesday night beat-down to the trotters he faced in the $12,000 Preferred at Grand River Raceway.
The four-year-old son of Victory Sam-Stephanie Merit was allowed to settle off the pace for the majority of the mile before making a bold backstretch brush to the lead for teamster Scott Zeron, who co-owns the gelding with Percy Elkins and Rick Zeron Stables. Merited Victory found another gear and blew away the competition by more than eight lengths in a time of 1:58. The Original was the best of the rest, and Nobananas rounded out the top three.
The 21-time winner has raced four times for the new connections, and during that time he has put together a 3-1-0 record. All three of those winning efforts were taken over Grand River’s half-mile oval. The second-place finish came in a Preferred assignment at Georgian Downs on June 16. Tuesday’s $6,000 payday pushed his career bankroll over the $150,000 mark.
Merited Victory was one of the five horses driven to victory on the 12-race program by teamster Scott Zeron. He also clicked with Nite Games (1:58.1), Taylorlane Duffy (1:59.1), Golden Ace (1:57) and Pionnier Angus (1:57.2). The five-bagger lifted this year's win total to 89, and it helped Zeron's lifetime earnings inch closer to the $2-million mark.
To view Tuesday’s results, click here.