Washington, PA – A new racing season began Monday (Jan. 6) at The Meadows, but it looked like the same old Perlucky, as he rolled to his fifth straight victory in the $18,000 Open 1 Handicap Trot.

Perlucky rolled to his fifth straight victory in the feature this afternoon at the Meadows. Chris Gooden photo.

Dave Palone sent Perlucky to the point from post six, and the 5-year-old Lucky Chucky-Paper Girl gelding had nary an anxious moment, defeating the pocket-sitting Cherry Peep by 1-1/2 lengths in 1:55.1. Rising MVP rallied for show.

Ron Burke trains Perlucky, who now boasts $359,909 in career earnings, for Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi LLC and Phillip Collura.

Mike Wilder and Palone each collected three wins on the 13-race card.

Aaron Merriman was honored this afternoon for this 3rd stright year of 1,000 victories in 2019. Chris Gooden photo.

During the program, The Meadows and the Meadows Standardbred Owners Association (MSOA) honored Aaron Merriman for achieving his third consecutive 1,000-win season, a harness racing first. Merriman notched win 1,000 at Northfield Park on the final card of 2019.

Live racing at The Meadows continues Tuesday (Jan. 7) when the card features a trio of rich wagering opportunities: a $5,000 total-pool guarantee in the Pick 4 (races 3-6); a $1,370.51 carryover in the Pick 5 (races 2-6); a $1,129.69 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5. First post is 1:05 p.m.