Quietly Jimmy Devaux does his job, and he’s good at what he
does.
On Wednesday afternoon (April 16) Devaux reined four winners
on Monticello Raceway’s eight race card. The previous day he had three wins.
Devaux began the Wednesday afternoon scoring a 2:00.4
victory with Melissa Russo’s veteran trotter Tobell and although Tobell paid
$38.00 for win it wasn’t the biggest payoff of Devaux’s four winners.
In the seventh race, after getting a two-hole journey with
45-1 shot Waterfront Success, when the field rounded the final turn the
pace-setter Aurevoir Balboa went off stride and allowed Devaux’s pacer
room which enabled them to wind their way through the leaders and be the first
to the finish line.
Owned by Ruth Ingham and trained by Vernon James Waterfront
Success returned a whopping $92.00 win payoff.
“When Mike’s (Merton with Aurevoir Baboa) horse tipped-off
on the last turn I thought I had a shot at winning and my horse was strong
because we never go any air,” Devaux explained. “The hardest part, though, was
finding race room in the deep stretch but when I fed my horse daylight he
scooted by the leaders and we won by a length I’d guess.”
Devaux’s other two winners were race favorites. In the
second race he won by five lengths in 2:01.3 with the rapidly improving
sophomore pacer Chantepleur ($3.10), an American Ideal colt owned by Michael
Funke. His other victory came in race five behind Kevin Hough’s veteran
trotter George’s Vacation ($3.20) In 2:00.4.
Devaux, like his brother-in-law Bruce Aldrich, Jr. (they’re
married to sisters) also does double duty racing at both Monticello Raceway in
the afternoon and at Saratoga Raceways in the evening. And last night at the
Spa City oval Devaux won two races making it a six-win day for the
talented reinsman he had eight drives and won
Thus far this year Devaux has driven 110 winners which
currently ranks him tied for 13th place on the North American
leaderboard. Last year the former two-time Mighty M driving champ scored a
personal best when he drove 412 winners.
