MR - MERTON AND PELLEGRINO TEAM-UP FOR 4 MORE WINS

Driver Greg Merton will tell you himself that it was his lucky day when trainer Pete Pellegrino decided to race part of his huge stable at Monticello Raceway this year.

It certainly has been good for Merton who, basically on the strength of the Pellegrino- barn ,has vaulted to the top of the local leaderboard currently with 174 wins

Of course it’s been quite satisfying for Pellegrino, too.

 At the start of the Tuesday, August 21^st  race card Pellegrino was tied with Gary Messenger in training victories, each with 80. But after Pellegrino’s four wins today —all with Greg Merton at the controls- he now is the tracks leading conditioner.

The Merton-Pellegrino combination started the day with a 1:56.2 victory with Kiss Me Cam ($3.20) in the first race. The pair teamed-up again in race number five when Merton guided the Pellegrino-trained  Court Jester ($2.50) to an easy 1:54.3 triumph which was the veteran pacer’s sixth consecutive victory.

After Merton reined Art Maker ($4.90) to a 1:56.2 victory the dynamic-duo had their third win of the day. That number was stretched to four in race eight when Arts Day ($7.90) won in a time of 1:56.3 for the pacer’s ninth consecutive victory and 12thof the season.

All of Pellegrino’s winners on today’s card  are owned by the Baron Racing Stable of Horsham, PA.

Pellegrino has 40 horses stabled at the nearby Golden Shoe Training Center and races 10 or 12 of them at the Mighty M.

“I race bunch of old class horses here and fortunately they’re staying together for me. If they had classes for my better horses I I’d like to race my whole barn here at Monticello,” Pellegrino said at day’s end. “But I’m especially lucky to have a good owner who has really given me a chance.”