Eight days ago at Monticello Raceway Zeke Parker
notched his 11,000th career driving victory. Another Mighty M
teamster, Jimmy Taggart, Jr. is also en route to a personal milestone of 3000
career wins.
The day before Parker notched his 11,000th
Taggart was 14 wins from 3000.He rushed to the threshold with multiple
victories over the four day racing week and on Tuesday, July 23 he found
himself just one win shy of 3000.
On Tuesday, July 23 Taggart had a decent afternoon
with three seconds and three thirds but that one victory eluded him.
Were you pressing Jimmy?
“I don’t think I was but it (the 3000th win)
certainly was on my mind,” Taggart said in response to the query. “It’ll come,
maybe even today (Wed.July24). I’ve got nine drives and a few morning line
favorites.”
Although Taggart didn’t win a race yesterday former Mighty M
leading driver Jimmy Devaux had three winners and now had 113 here
(fifth best) at to go along with the 81 he has at Saratoga Raceway
which ranks him third on their leaderboard in races won.
One of Devaux’s three winners was with the
$12,500 claiming pacer Stoman when he guided the 7 year old Market Report
gelding to another gate to wire triumph this time in 1:56.
It was the pacer’s fifth consecutive victory and
eighth of the season. It also marked the third consecutive race in which
Stoman was claimed.
Yesterday (July 23) Barry Charles plunked down $12,500
and took him from Dominic Rafanelli. A week previous (July 16)
Rafanelli claimed Stoman (for the same amount) from Barry Franklin
who initially claimed the pacer from him for $12,500 on July 9.
Despite all those barn changes Jimmy Devaux was summoned to
do the driving and he made each effort a winning one.
“I’ve only catch-driven him in his last four starts. He’s a
nice horse to drive and he loves to be on the front end and with his quick gate
speed he can get there in a hurry.,” Devaux said referring to Stoman who has
won his last five races in wire to wire fashion..
Devaux also won with the Barry Charles-owned-Art Genta
($15.00) in 1:57.4 and with Tom Riddle ($3.40) in 1:55.
Oddly Tom Riddle raced for the first time for his new
owner Andrew Adamcyzk. Just last week Adamcyzky claimed him from Ed and
James Hall for $7,500, the same amount the claiming pacer was in for on Tuesday
afternoon.
It was Tom Riddle’s fourth consecutive victory and eighth of
the year and first time Devaux had driven him.
