The Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA scribes know talent when
they see it and they have been on the money with their recent choices for
their annual Rising Star Award recipient. In recent years they’ve cited Jordan
Stratton, Jimmy Marohn, Jr. and Austin Siegelman but through the years they’ve
named George Brennan, Jimmy Taggart, Jr. and Greg Merton to name a few.
This year their Rising Star Award will go to 25-year-old
Jason Ryan and it just so happened that he won four races on the Tuesday
card(Nov. 11) here at the Mighty M.
His first victory was with Tiffany Barrett’s Kevin’s Apple
($27.40) in 1:58.2 and he followed that with a 1:56.3 triumph
behind Steven Moore’s KB’s Bad Boy ($15.60).
With win number three he lit up the toteboard with
Laurie Patistas’s Jet Set Style in a 1:56.4 mile. The pacer paid $72.50,
$17.20 and $13.60 across the board.
Ryan capped his afternoon when he won the 12th
and final race with Andrew Adamczyk’s See You Smile in a time of 1:55.4
and that win was worth $17.40 for each two dollar mutuel ticket.
“”After the races were completed somebody called me
‘longshot Ryan because all my winners paid double figures,” Ryan said. “I know
a couple of them had a decent chance but I was certainly surprised with
Jet Set Style being 35-1 from the rail. But (trainer) Lounsbury had one (Mr
Tommy Fra) in there that was odds-on and he never got untracked from the seven
hole. Starting from the inside I got a two-hole trip and my horse
finished strong.”
The transplanted Canadian began the season here at the
Mighty M in early January and he opened some eyes with his driving
abilities over the months that he was here. He later moved on to Saratoga
Raceway and then during the late summer back Running Aces Harness Park in
Columbus, Minnesota where he competed well the previous year.
But this season at the Minnesota race track Ryan finished as
leading driver with 90 winners. When that track closed he moved back to
Monticello Raceway and he plans on being here throughout the winter.
He currently had driven 148 winners thus far this season
which is his best output thus far in his fledgling career.
Asked what the future will bring he replied “I’d like to
race at Yonkers and the Meadowlands in the future but I know I’ll have to pay
my dues before I’ll be able to,” Ryan admitted.
