BY FRANK
DRUCKER, Publicity Director, Empire City @ Yonkers Raceway
YONKERS, NY, Thursday, December 19, 2013--He was the victim of bad luck Monday
(shuffled out of the last race) and bad weather Tuesday (Mother Nature snowed
on his parade), but Jason Bartlett completed his appointed rounds Thursday
night.
Bartlett, a Yonkers Raceway mainstay since migrating from Maine a few seasons
ago, drove his 5,000th career winner. He hit the number with solid, two-move
effort from Box Car Johnnie ($8) in the $12,000, sixth-race pace. The
8-year-old Western Paradise gelding defeated odds-on favorite Pembroke Alec
Bush (George Brennan) by a length-and-a-half in 1:53.
The 32-year-old Bartlett, a native of Augusta, ME, entered the evening needing
one scant victory to round up the odometer.
Bartlett has three consecutive (2008-10) local driving titles on his resume,
which also includes a pair of Yonkers' stakes wins...the George Morton Levy
Memorial Pacing Series (Foiled Again, 2010) and Messenger Stakes (2013, Ronny
Bugatti). He also represented the U. S. twice in the World Driving
Championship.
Bartlett, who drove his first winner for his grandfather, Richard, at the
Windsor (ME.) Fair in 1998, is closing on $54 million in career purses. The
Bartletts--Jason, wife Kristen, and sons Kobe and Karter---were presented with
a congratulatory sign after his latest accomplishment.
"As I said
before, I've never been much of a numbers guy, but 5,000 is a lot,"
Bartlett said. "I always appreciate the owners and trainers giving me the
opportunities, and really, you just go out and do your best every night.
"It was special doing it for (trainer) Alicia Gray, since she and her
husband, Shawn, are also from Maine and I've had a lot of success driving for
them."
The
Raceway's five-night-per-week live schedule continues through Saturday's
season-ender, with first post Friday
and Saturday at 7:10 PM. Evening simulcasting accompanies all live programs,
with afternoon simulcasting now available daily.
