Zeke hangs up his silks

While stuck in heavy traffic the other day, I faintly heard a siren which gradually got louder and louder.

Of course, all of the traffic moved aside letting the huge red firetruck through for clear sailing to save another life.

More about the significance of that a bit later…

Billy Parker, Jr., known as “Zeke” in our world of harness racing, hung up his silks a few days ago.

He’s probably the most famous “un-famous” (yes, I made that word up) person in our sport.

William L. Parker, Jr. is a “Mainer” through and through.

Born in Sanford, Maine, “Zeke” went behind the starting gate some 60,000 times, including qualifiers, of course, and championed the smaller owner pretty much start to finish.

The “start” had him grooming horses in his early teen years before getting his training knowledge from his uncle, revered horseman Freeman Parker.

“Harness racing was about the only thing I had on my mind while growing up,” he once said, “and my Uncle Freeman taught me everything to be a success in this business.”

Zeke closed out his career with 11,315 wins and was 1-2-3 in just about 50 percent of his pari-mutuel starts.

He won his first race at Union, Maine in 1970 and, early on, got wins for noted trainer Rod Grady up in the Pine Tree State, as well.

By the late 1970’s, Billy Parker, Jr.—he wasn’t known as “Zeke” yet—was considered the “King of Maine,” winning 200 races in 1979.

On to Foxboro where, in 1980, he hooked up with Colen Mosher and gained national attention while winning 266 races and a spot in the top 10 in the country.

That “partnership” at Foxboro in the early 1980’s was great with Parker lamenting, “It was my lucky day when I met up with Colen and, when he decided to move to Monticello, I followed him right out of the door.”

By the way, it was at Foxboro that he inherited the nickname “Zeke,” given to him by trainer-driver Davey Marshall, both gentlemen in a ‘celebratory’ mood after a night at the races.

Parker began winning driving titles at Scarborough, Lewiston and Foxboro and, in 1984, decided to tackle Monticello on a full-time basis and dominated the driver standings for the next dozen years.

In the latter part of the 1990’s, he went to Yonkers Raceway and was at or near the top of the driver’s colony in wins, purse money and UDRS on several occasions.

Zeke was “slowed down” a bit with some health issues but survived surgery to continue training up until his recent retirement, while curtailing his driving activities the last few seasons—his last drive a winning one at Monticello Raceway.

During his 52-year career in the sulky, he won over 200 races in a season 29 times with a pinnacle being 525 wins in 1995. Sandwiched around that were 446 wins in 1994 and 419 victories in 1996. Zeke had 16 other seasons with over 300 wins.

As far as “batting average” (UDRS) is concerned, during his “prime” years, 1978-2003, he was never under .300 and reached .400 in 1995, the year he won 525 races in 2012 starts.

All-in-all, he won $31,270,213 bit-by-bit for owners that couldn’t afford to spend $100,000 or $200,000 or more for yearlings.

There are those that say that Parker is not worthy of Hall of Fame status because he didn’t have that huge stakes winner that most Hall of Famers can brag.

That’s true.

No, Billy Parker, Jr., didn’t have the luxury of driving the great ones of the 1970’s like Rambling Willie or Mountain Skipper…or the 1980’s like Mr Dalrae or Forrest Skipper…or the 1990’s like Staying Together or Red Bow Tie or even the 2000’s like Gallo Blue Chip or Mister Big.

Yes, Billy Parker, Jr. championed the little guy and gal who weren’t quite as fortunate to hit that home run…but he sure hit a lot of singles, doubles and triples for them.

Longtime friend Bruce Ranger, who knew Parker from his early days in the sport, lamented, “Billy was—and is—a great horseman who was just a humble, true ‘Mainer’ who would just as soon have a red hot dog than a two-pound lobster.

“I know of times when he was listed on several horses in an overnight sheet and would pick the one that needed the money most.”

Horseman Nick Clegg echoed those sentiments when learning about Parker’s retirement saying, “those of us who drove against him understand his greatness.

“He had an endless bag of strategic moves to beat you on the track but, off the track, he was as good as they come.

“Years ago, we were at Monticello, and he was listed on five horses, including our (not-so-good) mare and ours looked fifth best.

“I saw Zeke and asked, ‘did you see the sheet?’ He said, ‘yes’ and I’ll be driving yours because it definitely looks like you can use the money!”

Ranger continued, “Let me tell you something…when someone wins a big race worth a few hundred thousand, it is great for that one or two or handful of owners.

“What Zeke has done has kept thousands of owners from going under water with his mastery in the bike. That, alone, should be acknowledged as Hall of Fame worthiness!”

Parker explains it this way, “I’ve had a few stakes winners like in the Matron and Sheppard and Hudson Filly Trot…and I’ve won the Lady Maud a couple of times…but most of my wins have helped keep owners in the business and, when they are in the winner’s circle, it makes it all worthwhile—whether the purse is $3,000 or $10,000—a winner’s circle picture is worth a million dollars to them.

“Yeah, I didn’t get the best stock to drive but my philosophy—if you can call it that—is don’t grab ‘em up until you can’t see their ears!”

What a great philosophy for success.

In explaining his retirement, Zeke said, “I lost my wife some years ago and I have to be there for my two kids—Brandon, 23, and Brody Zeke, 15.”

Brandon is following in dad’s hoof prints racing at Monticello and has 211 wins this season while Brody Zeke is 15 with a “whole lifetime ahead of him,” said Zeke.

So, back, now to the opening reference about the traffic moving aside to let the firetruck through…

The road to the Hall of Fame is very crowded…probably dozens and dozens of worthy drivers, trainers, owners and breeders on the cherished list.

Wouldn’t it be great if all that traffic moved aside this one time and let harness racing’s fireman through.

After all, he is a big part of saving our grand sport!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink