by john manzi for the CKG
Billings amateur driving series
Since
its rebirth in the early 1980’s amateur driving has become a more integral part
of the harness racing scene with each passing year and currently the sporting
set help to fill race cards at many venues.
On
Friday night, June 17, harness racing’s greatest traveling roadshow, the CKG
Billing Amateur Driving Series, moved on to the Meadowlands where they provided
two trotting events in eastern region action and when the contests were
finalized, James “Jimmy Boy” Marshall IV and “Yankee Joe” Lee each emerged
victorious in their respective divisions. Marshall won his split with I C
Caviar in 1:54.4 while Lee romped home an easy winner with Captain Primeau,
also in a 1:54.4 clocking.
In
his contest Marshall was content to leave softly with I C Cavair and watch Bob
“the Headhunter” Hechkoff gun Keystone Thomas to the lead in a :27.2 first
quarter. But as the field approached the halfway point Marshall, sitting in
fourth position behind the 3-5 favorite, moved I C Caviar, out to challenge and
they trotted to the lead and played catch me if you can; and nobody could as I
C Caviar coasted home a two-length winner over Keystone Thomas. Two lengths
farther back was third place finisher Rocket Master, driven by the New York
Yankees locker room manager, Joe Lee.
It
was the third seasonal victory for I C Caviar who’s trained by Joe Hanney. The
5 year-old altered son of Malabar Millenium returned a $3.20 win mutuel. For
Marshall, a fourth generation horsemen it was his fifth seasonal driving
victory.
Speaking
of “Yankee Joe” Lee, in the second Billings
trot he took advantage of cover in the early going and then burst to the
lead up the backside and made a laugher out of it when his charge, Captain
Primeau, cruised home a 4-1/2 length winner over Saint Patty’s Doll and driver
Dein “the Dream” Spriggs. “Jimmy Boy” Marshall took home the show dough with
Doc Simon’s Dream in that contest.
Captain
Primeau, a veteran 12 year old gelding
by Enjoy Lavec, co-owned by Conny Svensson and Anneli
Svensson, and trained by Conny Svensson, paid $15.80 for win. It was the fourth
seasonal driving victory for “Yankee Joe”.
Next
up for the Billings amateurs is a mid-west region contest at Scioto Downs on
Friday, June 24.
