But ,what about the hard working trainers? They toil day-in
and day-out readying their stock for the reinsmen, nowadays called
catch-drivers although there must be a better moniker than that to
describe those who only drive.
One trainer who has been earning his salt over the past few
seasons at Monticello Raceway is Bob Lounsbury. On Tuesday January 5th
Lounsbury sent out six horses to the wars and was rewarded with
three wins and two seconds.
His driver of choice that afternoon—and usually-- was Bruce
Aldrich, Jr., a three time Mighty M driving champ and a driver who won more
races here than anyone else in the first decade of the 21st
century.
On Tuesday, after a second place finish with the
Lounsbury-trained and Standardbred Ventures- owned Timewell in race
five, Aldrich then visited the winners circle in the sixth with Philip
Shultz’s, No Gin ($3.20) in 1:56.3.
Aldrich’s next drive for Lounsbury was a 1:57.2
triumph behind Cory Greenberg’s, DVC Gifted Indeed ($3.70) in race eight and
Aldrich and Lounsbury connected again with Will Damberg’s, See You Smile
($3.90) in the ninth race in a 1:57.1 clocking which gave the prolific trainer
three wins on the 12- race card.
Lounsbury just missed a training four–bagger when Aldrich
and Stan Indig’s Rare Display were beaten a neck in 1:58.4 in race 11.
However, Aldrich got his driving four-bagger when he copped
the 12th and final race with Gary Thorne, and Anthony &
John Urbanowicz’s Thin Blue Line ($14.20) in 1:59.2.
With his three victories on Tuesday Lounsbury now has 20 for
the fledgling meet and leads all other trainers in races won.
Lounsbury, from Liberty, NY who doubles as a as a
surveyor, got deeply involved in harness racing when Monticello Raceway staged
the Battle of the Bosses, races driven by owners who were not drivers or
trainers, back in the early 1990’s. But it wasn’t until 2002 that Lounsbury
dedicated much of his time to training Standardbreds and thus far he has
harnessed 695 winners from a limited amount of starters.
