Washington, PA — When the field steps onto the track for Saturday afternoon’s Dwane Parker Arden Downs three-year-old filly trot, the horse leading the parade might just be pacing.
Wild Wild Western, a standout pacer for several years, will lead the field onto the track. It will mark his final appearance on The Meadows’ 5/8 mile oval. The now 9-year-old stallion last raced in November of 2024 and the decision was recently made to retire him from racing. The son of Western Ideal currently stands at stud at Lindwood Farm in Greensburg, Pennsylvania, where he has been breeding mares part-time for the past three years while continuing to race. His first crop is now 2 years old, and one of that select group of first-year horses is Western Raptor, who has already taken a mark of 1:52.4f.
Wild Wild Western retires as one of the top Open pacers in recent Meadows history, winning 45 of 132 races with a mark of 1:48.1f and earnings of more than $723,000. Mike Wilder drove Wild Wild Western to 31 of his victories.
The race he will lead is named for the late Dwane Parker, father of a harness racing family that includes son Norm Parker and daughters Kathy Parker and Sally Parker Bolon. Norm Parker was Wild Wild Western’s trainer throughout his career.
“He’s the nicest all-around horse I’ve ever trained,” said Norm Parker. “From manners to racing to everything. Just a consistent, honest horse. In fact, the best compliment I’ve ever gotten about him came from Ron Burke. When Wild Wild Western was at the top of his game in the Open pace, Ronnie said that he brought more than a dozen horses in here to try to knock him off the top, and he couldn’t do it. He said Western was like the Foiled Again of The Meadows.”
Among the six horses drawn into the $31,233 stake, two have direct ties to the race’s namesake. Norm Parker is the trainer of Backswing, leaving from post position 2, while his sister, Sally, owns number four Dianne Hanover, trained by her husband Rodney. Kyle Bolon, Dwane Parker’s grandson, will drive Dianne Hanover.
The Dwane Parker Trot will be race seven on The Meadows’ Adios Day 16-race card on Saturday afternoon, with first race post set for 11:30 a.m.