by John Manzi for the
Billings Series
Yonkers, NY-- The
granddaddy of all amateur driving organizations, the CKG Billings Series, move
on to Yonkers Raceway for a pair of trots over the speedy double-oval and when
the judges hung the official signs “Tough Tyler” Miller and Bob “the
Headhunter” Hechkoff each reined a winner in their respective divisions.
Miller drove the Nick
Surick- trained veteran Jacks To Open, to a 2-1/2 length triumph in 1:59.1
while Hechkoff scored a 1:58 victory with Five Towns, another old-timer whose
trained by Kyle Spagnola.
In his split Miller was
content to head to the pylons from post three as “Smokin' Joe” Faraldo, up
behind Tough Get Going, played hardball with Mystical Power, driven by Tony
“the Capo” Verruso, and the pair zipped by the quarter in :28 and raced was a
team past the half in :57.4 and they were still side by side at the three
quarters in 1:28.2.
When Mystical Power began to
show signs of the overland trip young Miller moved Jacks To Open out to
challenge and he trotted to the front before the head of the lane and coasted
home an easy winner over Southwind Dorian, driven by 16-year-old Brett “the
Kid” Beckwith. Faraldo garnered the show dough with Tough Get.Going.
Hechkoff used the front-end
route to score an easy triumph in 1:58 with the veteran Five Towns,a 10 year
old Andover Hall gelding.
Five Towns started from post
three and once in command it was “Katey bar the door” as he trotted along with
no serious challenges until “Joltin' Joe” Pennacchio got Super Manning in high
gear as the field neared the third stanza. But that rally was short-lived as
Five Towns was up to the challenge and trotted away to an easy victory over
Pennacchio's trotter. Shady McCoy finished third for Dave “the Rave” Offenberg.
Both races went as
non-wagering affairs before the first race on the betting card.
