Rosecroft: Geez Joe takes on big boys in Potomac Pace

The 2018 Harness Racing stakes season will officially be put to bed on December 2 when eight older pacers meet in the $100,000 Potomac Pace at Rosecroft Raceway.

With divisional leader and top Horse of the Year contender McWicked calling it a year after his TVG win on November 24 at The Meadowlands, the Potomac drew an interesting group including No. 1 contender in the group Filibuster Hanover and some newcomers to the class like Geez Joe, who seeks his third straight win while stepping way up in class.

Despite displaying some success on the New York Sire Stakes circuit as a 3-year-old, the Erv Miller-trained Geez Joe wasn’t on the Grand Circuit radar coming into 2018. A son of Roll With Joe, he compiled a decent 20-5-1-3 racing in the mid-level condition ranks on the east coast. Then it all came together.

On November 17 at The Meadowlands with Marcus Miller in the bike, the 4-year-old gelding uncorked a 1:48 1/5 winning mile to beat a Non-winners of $8,500 in last 5 starts field by seven lengths. He double-jumped in class one week later and dispatched a field that included fellow Potomac starter Duplicate N by a length in 1:49.

“I’ve always thought he was a nice horse, though it is hard to say I expected him to go miles like he has the last two weeks,” said Miller. “He’s just had a hard luck season. When he got really good he would draw the outside, he jumped over a shadow, one night he got hit in the face with the whip. All this goofy stuff just kept happening and it seems the last two weeks everything has been perfect.

“He made $150,000 on the New York circuit at 3. He just hasn’t come back all the way as a 4-year-old until lately. Once night at Pocono he was last at the top of the lane and swept the field, even in a conditioned race that almost never happens. He did the same thing at Batavia one night. It was a cheap race but he was last and swept by everyone. He’s had the talent and it is all finally coming together. I think we are just finding out how good he is now.”

Even coming off the two huge efforts at The Meadowlands, the waters get much deeper for Geez Joe (post 3) on Sunday. Filibuster Hanover, who starts from post 4 with Matt Kakaley in the bike, has earned $636,601 in 2018 for trainer Ron Burke and was recently third in the TVG final behind McWicked and Dealt A Winner, who drew post 1 with David Miller at the controls for the Potomac. Burke also sends out the speedy Rockin Ron, a winner of $532,311 this year, with Yannick Gingras from post 8.

The remainder of the field includes Western Fame with new trainer Rene Allard, Duplicated N, Rock N Roll Jet and Endeavor.

“He’s a big, good-gaited, strong horse. He has the tools to do it for sure,” said Miller of Geez Joe’s chances. “I’m excited to try it anyway.”

While Miller hopes Geez Joe can handle the jump to the top level, Miller is drove another horse on Friday at The Meadowlands which he is confident has the ability to make the leap.

A one time Hambletonian hopeful, Trolley was a winner on November 24 at The Meadowlands in his second start back from more than a year of inactivity and won again on November 30 versus better competition.

“He broke a coffin bone,” said Miller. “When he broke it I said he was the best trotter I’ve ever sat behind and no one knows his name.

“If he is sound, he’ll travel around with the top aged trotters next summer,” said Miller.

The Potomac Pace is scheduled as race 10 at Rosecroft. First post time is 4:40 p.m.