Ontario Sires Stakes graduate Judge Ken has been competing through NAADA trotting series events all summer, but this week’s schedule caused him to opt-in to the Open ranks on a rainy afternoon on Wednesday (September 1) at Monticello Raceway.
Newcomer Bank Guard (Jim Devaux) started from post position five in the $7,700 Open Trot, dashing first off the gate and led the way to the quarter in :28.3 when Judge Ken (Joseph Chindano Jr.) suddenly started the outer flow as the pack approached the halfway point in :58.2. Bank Guard began to fade back, causing a bottleneck, which enabled Judge Ken to reach the three-quarters mark in 1:27.3. Judge Ken quickly drew away from his opponents by open lengths, cruising home a 7-3/4-length winner in 1:58.3. The betting favourite, Mighty Surf (Mike Merton), finished second and last week’s Open winner Chip Conway (Jim Taggart Jr.) followed.
Judge Ken, a five-year-old gelding by Justice Hall, is trained by Steven Moore and owned by Scott Kepler of Ridgefield, Connecticut. The win was the fifth of the year for Judge Ken and pushed his seasonal earnings over $20,000 while his career bankroll climbed to $135,495.
Chindano Jr. drove two winners while Bruce Aldrich Jr. had three winners on the card. Murray Bassen had two training wins.
(With files from Monticello Raceway)