By john
manzi for the CKG Billings Amateur Driving Series
The CKG Billings Amateur Driving Series has been part
of the harness racing scene for nearly 35 years and on Saturday (Sept. 10) was
the first time this season that the Billings Series offered trots in both the
Midwestern and Eastern Regions on the same evening. The Billings trot in the
Midwest at Northfield Park was won by Max “Colonel” Schultz while David “Poppa”
Glasser was victorious in the East at Tioga Downs.
Schultz, a German amateur driver visiting the USA,
scored a wire to wire triumph with Detailer in a 1:59.4 clocking and Glasser
used similar tactics when reined Celebrity Stimulus home first in a 1:58 mile.
Last year Schultz came to the USA around the time the
Little Brown Jug was contested, and showed his American counterparts that he
knows his was around the racetracks winning two Billings contests then.
In tonights contest Schultz had Detailer on the
lead as they trotted by the first stanza in :30 seconds and
they were followed closely by Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford with
Partyatyourplace.
“Tonight, my horse was strong behind the (starting )
gate so I sent him to the lead and then slowed him down,” Schultz related
via a telephone conversation.
The field trotted by half in 1:00.3 and up the backside
“Chicago George” Bonomo took aim at the leaders with Flying Muscles although
Schultz and Oldford were still one-two as the field passed the three quarters.
In the lane Oldford angled Partyatyourplace out to challenge and they raced
side by side to the wire.
“I had perfect trip behind
Max and when I pulled my horse out to challenge in the stretch we got to
Detailer’s his chinstrap but we couldn’t get by and had had to settle for
second,” Oldford said. . Bonomo and Flying Muscles finished third.
Both Detailer and Partyatyourplace are owned by Bert
Hershberger and trained by J D Wengerd and according to Oldford if it wasn’t
for them the race probably never would have filled.
Detailer notched his fourth seasonal victory and
returned a $13.40 mutuel.
Meanwhile in Billings action hundreds of miles away at
Tioga Downs in New York's southern tier David “Poppa” Glasser reined his fifth
victory of the season behind his own Celebrity Stimulus.
|
Glasser,
president of a litigation company, was gracious to his help. “I am
sincerely grateful that the trainers, and staff, who have cared for Celebrity
Stimulus all year have him in such good shape. Without their hard work and
skill I would not have won tonight.
“As
for the race, I had the racing luck tonight. No passing lane kept that closed
and I was able to fight off the first over challenge,” he related.
The
Billings trot went as a non-wagering affair after the third race on the betting
card at Tioga Downs.
