Keystone Chester and Flying Muscles each captured his second straight division in Monday’s third leg of the Ken Weaver Memorial Trot at The Meadows, though they used dramatically different styles to do so.
Jetta Dough took the other $12,000 split in the series for three- and four-year-old colts, stallions and geldings. The championship legs of the Ken Weaver and three other current series at The Meadows are set for Friday, March 27, first post 6:55 p.m.
Keystone Chester, a four-year-old Chocolatier-Keystone Chickadee gelding, quarter-poled to the lead for Aaron Merriman, trainer Andy Rickert and owner Murdock Racing Stable and rolled to victory in a career best 1:56.4. Early leader Great Magic, previously undefeated in the series, was 3-1/2 lengths back in second, with Knucklebiter third.
Flying Muscles, on the other hand, was seven lengths behind at the three-quarters when he launched his winning move for Brian Zendt. He scored in 1:58.2, a head better than Rannoch Moor. Justice Delight earned show. Todd Rooney trains Flying Muscles, a three-year-old Muscle Massive-Maker A Laker gelding, and owns with David Lee and Eldon Thompson.
Elsewhere on the card, Chaching Hanover took a non-winners-of-two event in 1:54.2, fastest this year by a sophomore colt on a five-eighths-mile track. Mike Wilder piloted the son of Yankee Cruiser-Chana Hanover for trainer Jan Fread and owners Karen Fread, Michael Toth and Michelle Linnert. It was one of four wins for Wilder on the 14-race card.
(The Meadows)