The Zeke Parker countdown is over. On Thursday, September 12, Parker won a pair of races at Monticello Raceway, and in doing so he passed Walter Case Jr. in career driving victories and became the sixth winningest driver in the sport.
Parker now has driven his mounts to 11,039 wins in his career, one better than Case’s total.
A 2:01.1 victory with trotter Hardrock Kid in the fifth race brought Parker even with Case at 11,038, and Parker’s milestone triumph came as MD Bee Bee gave him sole possession of sixth place on the North American career leaderboard.
The pacer, owned by John Stubits of nearby Liberty, NY, was sent off the prohibitive favourite in the race. Parker and MD Bee Bee paced to the front and made every pole a winning one en route to a 1:56.2 triumph.
“I’m proud of what I have accomplished so far and hope to continue driving for many years,” said the 59-year-old native of Maine. “Being sixth all-time is a great, but I feel bad for ‘Casey.’ Except for a few a starts at Plainridge a few years ago, he [hasn’t] driven a horse in nearly 10 years. Imagine how many races he would have won if he was still driving.”
Although Parker stole the headlines of the day, Jimmy Taggart, Jr. had an outstanding afternoon, as he steered five winners on the card.
(With files from Monticello)