Wygant Prince certainly had decent credentials going in to
the Billings Trot at Freehold Raceway on Saturday (May 10) but it
didn’t appear that he was a ‘stick-out’ As he was rated second
choice on the morning line at odds of 7-2. However, the bettors seemed
to like the trotters chances and sent him off the odds-on 3-5 favorite and the
horse and his talented amateur driver “Coach Paul” Minore solidified the
backing supplied by the bettors and went wire to wire to win by two
lengths in a time of 2:00.
Minore, a now retired high school coach whose most famous
pupil was Carl Lewis, the track and field athlete and winner of 10 Olympic
medals including nine Gold, drove like an Olympic champ himself.
“I figured I had a good chance and the bettors must have remembered
that my horse won here (at Freehold Raceway) a month ago in (1) :58 and a
piece, so as long as they had confidence in my horse I drove him like he was
the best. And he was,” Minore remarked.
“Smokin’ Joe Faraldo, on the pylons with Rodeo Red, left
like a runner and parked all comers, Wygant Prince included. After most settled
in behind him Faraldo grabbed leather and let Minore take command.
“I saw that he (Minore) was 3-5 on the (tote) board so I let
him go but we still smoked by the quarter in :28.3,” Faraldo
related. “I thought if I followed him (Minore) I get a good trip. I did, but
heading to the final turn my horse started to lag so I tapped him a bit,
something I never have done to him. He’s racehorse sound but at that
point he began to feel his aches and pains but he hung game and we did get
third money.”
Bob “the Head-Hunter’ Heckhoff finished second but his
trotter, Tagmaster, went a tough trip.
Riding along in third position Hechkoff moved Tagmaster
first-up in the :59.3 half and they spent the remainder of the mile on
the limb. Although Tagmaster and Wygant Prince raced side by side into the
final turn Minore’s trotter was the strong horse in the lane and finished a two
length winner over Hechkoff’s.
Owned by Minore and trained by Taylor Gower, Wygant Prince
paid $3.20 for win.
Next Billing’s action in the east region will again be at
Freehold Raceway on May 17. However, Thursday, May 15 there will be a Billings
trot at Northfield Park in the series mid-west region.
