Catch The Fire turned in a scorching 1:46.4 stakes and track record performance to defend his title in the $278,000 Sam McKee Memorial for free-for-all pacers during Saturday afternoon's Hambletonian Day card at The Meadowlands.
With the first weekend of May in the books, many of harness racing's top performers from 2021 have started to return to the racetrack for the upcoming stakes season or hit the racetrack in racing action.
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The Battle of Lake Erie, the longest running stakes event hosted at MGM Northfield Park, has once again attracted a star-studded cast for its 2021 edition. The $200,000 event, which is carded as the 10th race on Saturday (June 5), features a competitive field of the sport’s best open pacers with a combined 287 victories.
Introducing the 2021 $200,000 Battle of Lake Erie field:
#1 Western Joe - This seven-year-old son of Western Ideal is the 7-2 second choice. Christopher Choate trains this East Coast stalwart and has named Aaron Merriman to drive. Merriman recently notched his 13,000th driving win, is the leading driver in North America, and is Northfield’s all-time winningest driver. Western Joe, who is owned by Anthony Ruggeri and Richard Tosies, is out of the Falcon Seelster mare Ante Fay. Falcon Seelster won the very first Battle of Lake Erie in 1986. Western Joe’s lifetime mark is 1:47.3 with a career bankroll of $821,008.