By john manzi for the CKG Billings
Amateur Driving Series
Billings
action in the Midwest region was on tap Saturday night (Oct. 22)at Hollywood
Gaming Dayton Raceway with a nine-horse field going to post on the betting card
and despite having to start from the eight-hole Ned “the Insurance Agent”
Hodkinson stuck it to his competitors and pulled off a real stunner when he
guided 27-1 shot Mutinyonthebounty to a wire to wire 2:00.1 victory in
the Billings trot.
Hodkinson
took no prisoners and sent his veteran trotter to the front and at the quarter
pole they were a solid length in front of Power of Justice driven by Victory
“Blue and” Gray, Jr. as the timer flashed :28.4. Not content to be covered in
the two-hole Gray angled his trotter out to challenge Hodkinson’s charge as
they trotted to the halfway point. But when Gray did Hodkinson fed
Mutinyonthebounty his head and the old-timer logged a 29-second third stanza
leaving Power of Justice fading on the limb.
As
the field headed for paydirt Mutinyonthebounty opened up a little
daylight and he needed every bit of the two length lead he had gained to hold
off a hard charging Keep The Cash, who was driven by Pat “the Write Stuff”
Miller. Although “Chicago George” Bonomo gave Don Swan a picture perfect
journey the trotter never fired in the lane and they finished third, two
lengths behind the winner.
Although
Hodkinson hasn’t been driving as much as he had been in years past still he
tallied his 52nd career driving victory tonight.
Mutinyonthebounty,
a 7-year-old altered son of Mutineer, trained by Ron Steck, scored his fifth
seasonal triumph and paid $57.60; $16.60 and $11.40 across the board.
