Severely shuffled after securing a good early seat, Butter Bay Hanover found late room between horses to capture Friday’s (Sept. 11) co-feature at The Meadows: a $20,000-$25,000 Claiming Handicap Pace.
Although he and driver Aaron Merriman briefly held the early lead, Butter Bay Hanover found himself fourth at the top of the lane with a wall of horses in front of him. Merriman guided the four-year-old Captaintreacherous-Better B Lucky gelding through a narrow seam, which he cleared successfully to edge Border Control A by a head in 1:52.3. Winning Is Sweet was a close-up third.
Bill Rhoades trains Butter Bay Hanover for Tom Mucci.
In the other co-feature, also a $20,000-$30,000 Claiming Handicap Pace, Western Tyrant made a quarter-pole move and prevailed in 1:52.3 for Dave Palone, trainer Kevin Johnson and owner Richard Briskey. It was the second-straight win for the six-year-old Western Terror-Fans Bikini gelding, who lifted his lifetime bankroll to $191,446.
Dave Palone piloted five winners on the 13-race card, including a pair for trainer Kevin Johnson.
Live racing at The Meadows resumes Monday (Sept. 14) when the 13-race program features a pair of Keystone Classics valued at $179,800 for two-year-olds. On the wagering front, the card offers an $18,626 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5 and a $5,000 total-pool guarantee for the Early Pick 4 (Race 3). First post is 12:45 p.m. (EDT).
(The Meadows)