“Marvelous
Marvin” Raber notched his first amateur driving victory of the season when he
guided Washingtonian to a stunning 1:56.4 victory in a Midwest region CKG
Billings Series trot at Northfield Park on Friday evening, July 10.
Sent
off as the betting favorite in the race from the two-hole Raber quickly took command with the veteran Malabar
Millennium gelding and led the eight-horse field by the first quarter in a
swift :28 seconds. From there Raber played catch me if you can and nobody could
as Washingtonian toured the speedy double oval in a time of 1:56.4 for a seven length triumph.
“I
was being hard pressed by Steve( Oldford with Bold Strike, the second choice in
the wagering) but when his horse made a break going to the half I felt very
confident in our chances to win it. My horse was still strong and he trotted
away from the field and cruised to an easy victory,” Raber explained.
Speed
Hanover and “Lawbook Larry” Farley finished second while YF Crasher and “Marlin
the Magician” Smith took home the show dough.
Washingtonian,
owned and trained by Larry Clabaugh, notched his second seasonal triumph and
returned a $4.40 win mutuel. It was only the fourth seasonal drive for Raber
who currently has 34 career driving
victories.
Now
with eight venues in the books in the Billings Midwest regionals Steve “You’re
Never Too” Oldford continues to lead the with 53 points. Dave “Linemaster”
Ehrenberg is second with 30 points and “Hurricane Hannah” Miller’s, 27, is
currently third best. Raber now with 23 points ranks fourth while Larry Farley, with 19 points is fifth.
Rounding
out the top ten are: “Michelle the Belle” Ruvola (18) “Bullet Bob” Davis (14.5), Bob “Lumberman” Troyer (14), “Chicago George”
Bonomo (13) and Kelly “Sky” Walker (13).
