Marohn’s triumphs came behind Edward and James Hall’s Jezal
Theory N (3.70) in 1:57.3 and Art Green’s and Ken Westerside’s, Mighty River
A($46.80) in1:58.1. Marohn’s hat trick victory was with John and Josephine
Giglio and Marie Lofrano’s, Joan’s Bad Boy($4.00) in 1:58.
Although Marohn and Taggart figure prominently in the battle
for top driving honors they better keep an eye on Greg Merton.
The falling rain and muddy racing surface didn’t deter a
red-hot Greg Merton who scored his fifth consecutive hat trick. Merton didn’t
win a race until the seventh on the card when he guided Robert
Lasagne’s Cockney Hanover($15.40) home first in a 1:57.2 clocking
and then he proceeded to win the ninth and tenth races. In the ninth
Merton reined the Baron Racing Stables’ Art’s Day ($19.80) to a 1:59 victory
and then copped the tenth with Kermit Allen and Art Green’s, Streetcar ($4.20)
in 1:59.3.
This season thus far Merton, a two time Mighty M driving
champ, has driven 140 less times than Marohn, Jr. and nearly 350 fewer times
than Taggart, Jr. but still has 73 wins, and with a meet leading
.374UDR.
When asked if he has a shot to win his third Mighty M
driving crown this season Merton thought a moment and then answered “If I keep
going at the rate I have been in the past two weeks I’ll be right in the thick
of things. Right now I’m still 29 wins from the top but I’d need a lot of luck
and a lot of live mounts to be right there at the end (of the
season).
