To say that racing in the north during the winter time is
unforgiving would be an understatement. Frigid weather, snow and ice, and
mud and rain, easily portrays what horses and horsemen have to go through just
to keep the show going. And often racing has to be cancelled due to the climate
conditions.
Since the 2014 season began on New Years Day,
Monticello Raceway has presented just two of its five scheduled programs having
to cancel on Thursday (Jan. 2); Friday (Jan.3) and now because of temperature
readings of -2 degrees (F) today the horses stayed in
their barns.
However, the Monday card of January 6 was raced despite the
falling rain which made conditions terrible, especially for the drivers.
But like football players and mailmen, the reinsmen tightened- up and did their
jobs and Mighty M driver Jimmy Devaux did his better than his competitors that
afternoon.
Devaux won three races over the muddy track; one was
with Norm Bradbury’s Red Eye Blue Chip who notched her fifth consecutive
victory extending back through last December. The gritty now 9-year-old mare
won 16 races and had 10 seconds last year.
Sent off second choice behind the Bob Lounsbury-trained ,
Brice Aldrich Jr. –driven, P H Dreamer, Devaux and Red Eye Blue
Chip sped away from the gate, gained command on the first turn, and then
let P H Dreamer take the lead and cut the fractions over the muddy race
course.
Devaux followed Aldrich through fractions slowed by the
racing surface until they reached the top of the lane where upon
Devaux moved his pacing mare to the passing lane and she out-footed P H
Dreamer to the wire for a length triumph in a 2:03.1 clocking.
When he reached the winners circle for a photograph Devaux
had a face full of mud but still he uttered “she’s game and she went another
gutsy trip”.
Owned and trained by Norm Bradbury, Red Eye Blue Chip paid
$5.80 for win.
Devaux also hit paydirt Monday winning the first race on the
card with George Lombardi’s Aruba Sunset ($6.30) in 2:02.4 and he the
copped the tenth with Marissa Russo’s trotter VIP ($3.30), a 17-time
winner last year, in a 2:04.3 clocking.
Besides his hat trick Devaux also had three seconds from the
nine drives he had that afternoon.
