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Friday, February 15, 2013

MR - BRUCE ALDRICH, JR WINS 2 OF THE 3 SPLITS IN THE 2ND LEG OF THE B’S STARTREK TROTTING SERIES

Besides the Name Your Price Claiming  Series Monticello Raceway’s director of racing Eric Warner also penned a late closing series for trotters during the month of February. Called the B’s Startrek Trotting Series and raced on Thursday afternoons, on  February 14 the second of three preliminary legs went to post and when they were completed Bruce Aldrich , Jr won two splits to go along with the three other races that he won on the card.

Aldrich, no stranger to the Mighty M double oval , won the  first race with M. Jeanne Zukowski’s ,  Mystical; Heiress ,which was also he first division of the trotting series.

Sent off the 7-10 favorite from the pylon position Aldrich wasted little time taking command and then cruising  through steady fractions en route to a 2:01.4 triumph over Consulate, handled by his brother-in-law Jimmy Devaux.

Mystical Heiress, a former two-time trotting mare of the year here  at Monticello Raceway trained by her owner, won her third seasonal victory and returned  $3.40 for win.

The second series leg, which went to post in the fifth race, turned out to be another wire-to-wire victory when Jimmy Taggart, Jr. and veteran trotter Strongbow got first call at every stanza. For Strongbow,  a two- time claiming trotter of the year at the  Mighty M,  stopped the timer in2:01.3 and scored his third seasonal  triumph.

Owned by Mary & Manny Fajardo, along with Helen Licitra and trained by Terry Beck, Strongbow  returned an $8.10 win mutuel.

Aldrich then won the final B’s Startrek Series  trot behind  Fox Valley Spencer again in front-end fashion turning back Alan Schwartz and Iroquouindianmagic  by two lengths in a time if 2:01.2.

Aldrich, now a resident of Saratoga Springs, NY, co-owns  the  5 year old Vaporize gelding with Stanley Indig  of South East, NY. It was the first seasonal victory for Fox Valley Spencer who’s trained by Jeanne Zukowski.  He paid  $3.40 for win.

The hot- handed Aldrich also scored victories in the second race behind Majestic View Farms, Majestic Midnight ($43.60) in 2:04.1; with Don Brainard’s Dolly Dagger ($5.50) in 2:01.3 in the fifth; and with Mike Carrubba and Angelo Nappo’s Urban Art ($4.80) in 2:00.2 in the seventh race.