by Mike Paradise, publicity director, Maywood Park

Melrose Park, IL — Taser Gun became harness racing’s newest millionaire when “the ageless one” came on with a rush to capture the $40,000 Egyptian Stake for state-breds on Friday night at Maywood Park.

Maywood Park Photo

Taser Gun (Andy Miller) strides out to capture Maywood Park’s $40,000 Egyptian Stake on Friday night, becoming the sport’s newest millionaire.

The victory was Taser Gun’s ninth in ten season’s starts as a nine-year-old. The $20,000 winner’s share of the second leg of the Maywood Pacing Series boosted the amazing Illinois bred pacer’s earnings to $1,014,732 for owners Cunningham Racing Inc. of Medora, Illinois and trainer Bob Walker.

Friday’s stake triumph was Taser Gun’s 63rd career victory in 121 lifetime starts and he became only the seventh ICF pacer to bank $1 million and the first to do so without a victory in a race with a purse value of over $50,000.

Taser Gun was expected to try for the lead in the Egyptian Stake despite the outside seven post and plenty of other speed inside of him. As it turned out, the game gelding got to the front before the first turn.

“I didn’t make up my mind what I was going to do with him tonight until the last minute,” said winning driver Andy Miller. “As it was, nobody appeared to be leaving, so I was able to get to the top rather easily.”

Taser Gun’s lead didn’t last very long, however. Driver Dale Hiteman took Constant Change out of the three hole and last year’s defending series champ grabbed control soon after the :27 flat first quarter.

Constant Change took the field through middle quarters of :28² and :28⁴, holding off a parked out No Hassle while Taser Gun was in an unfamiliar Maywood Park position as the pocket horse.

“He likes to get a trip more and more these days and I was glad when Dale (Hiteman) came with Constant Change,” continued Miller. “At that point I was confident the race was pretty much over and that my only concern would be getting out at the end. He just flowed into another level of pacing when he shook free at the top of the stretch.”

Taser Gun shook loose near the top of the lane and zipped past Constant Change, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:51⁴ with a :27¹ final panel. First Hope took third, another three lengths behind.

Only a narrow head defeat in the May 28 Cook County Stake, the first leg of the pacing series, has kept this remarkable horse from going 10-for-10 in his seventh racing season.

“Over the years I’ve tried not to race him into the ground and to be conservative with him,” said trainer Bob Walker, now a retired school teacher. “He’ll get two or three weeks off. We have to keep our sights further down the line with him, and of course I’m speaking of Super Night.”

A win in the $100,000 Dan Patch on September 18 at Balmoral Park would not only be Taser Gun’s first championship on Illinois’ biggest harness racing night of the year, it would also give the venerable pacer his first “six figure” victory ever.