Won The West, Shark Gesture take Graduate elims

Two $50,000 eliminations for the Graduate for free-for-all pacers were contested on the Saturday night card at the Meadowlands. Won The West, the 2009 Older Pacer of the Year, sat a second-over trip and held off last year's Berry's Creek champion Annieswesterncard by a nose to win the first of the splits in 1:52. David Miller was in the sulky for trainer Ron Burke, who sent out a quartet of winners on the card.

 

"It's brutal out there," Miller said. "It's got to be gusting 40 miles per hour. I'm not surprised we got to three-quarters in 1:25.3. It's a pretty good head wind up the backstretch. My horse felt comfortable where he was at and he responded when I asked him. I let up on him and Ronnie (Pierce and Annieswesterncard) almost got me at the wire. (Won The West) probably needs three or four more starts to be on top of his game, but this will do."