The fifth leg of the three-track NAADA Trotting Series was
contested in two non-wagering divisions prior to the betting card getting
underway at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday night (Nov.21) and both Dave Offenberg
and Kelly Walker emerged victorious in their respective $6000 splits.
Offenberg scored a 2:00.1 triumph with his own
(Allister Stables LLC) Whatnblazes in a time of 2:00.1 while Walker, in from
the Wolverine State, guided Christine Baggitt’s Lets Go Baby Go to
a 1:59.4 triumph.
In his division Offenberg sat chilly in the four-hole most
of the way as Bobby Krivelin and Saint
Patty’s Doll cut even fractions of
:29.4 and 1:00.3 and then passed the third stanza in 1:30.0.
Krivelin and
his trotting mare was still on the lead as the field headed for home but
Offenberg had Whatnblazes in high gear and they rallied down the center
of the track to nail Saint Patty’s Doll at the wire to score a head victory.
NAADA Series point leader Dr. John Kokinos enjoyed a two-hole trip with
Impressive Earl and they were right there in the three-horse photo but third
best by a short neck.
“I was just tuning up the old guy for the Billings Silver
Cup Final on Sunday at Chester,” Offenberg said with tongue in cheek after
his driving victory. Whatnblazes will start from the five hole, presumably as
one of the favorites, in the $15,000 Billings Silver Cup Final at Harrah’s
Philadelphia on November 24th which is cared as race 10 on their
13-race card.
For Offenberg his victory behind Whatnblazes was his 5th
of the year and 42 in his amateur driving career.
Kelly Walker made easy work of his 1:59.4 victory with Let’s
Go Baby Go when he zoomed the trotting mare to the lead from the four hole and
raced unchallenged until the backside but even that attempt by Tony Verruso and
Rodeo Red fell short as Walker kept the pedal to the metal and Lets Go baby Go
drew off to open lengths and cruised under the wire a four length winner over
Rodeo Red and Verruso. David Glasser finished third with Carbon Footprint.
Walker is again enjoying a good season in the sulky racing
mostly against professional driver in Michigan when he’s not participating in
local and national amateur driving events.
This was his 16 seasonal triumph and his 88th since
he began amateur driving in 2004 but the bulk of his victories (80) have been
recorded since 2009.
The next leg of the NAADA Trotting Series will be on
November 29 at Freehold Raceway.
