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.
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Large purses are again for the taking at The Meadowlands, with this Saturday’s (May 15) program highlighted by a pair of Graduate preliminaries and the $141,250 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial.
The Cutler Memorial, the second high-prize trot on the calendar, drew a stacked field of 10 mixed with heavy hitters of yester season and those trying to break through into the big leagues.
Forbidden Trade, the 2019 Hambletonian winner, makes his first start since Aug. 2020. The now five-year-old stallion by Kadabra scratched from the John Cashman Jr. Memorial last season before sustaining an injury that sidelined him the rest of the year. Driver Bob McClure reunites with the millionaire Luc Blais trainee wide of all his competition from post 10.