by john manzi for NAADA
MONTICELLO, NY --- A short
5-horse field gathered at Monticello Raceway on Thursday,(March 12) for a
$5000 trot and when the judges reviewed the finish-line photo they declared
Ladys Big Stormont the winner over a hard-charging Multitaskr Hanover (Dave
Yarock) in the second leg of the NAADA 2020 spring trotting series.
Accomplished amateur Alan
Schwartz was at the controls and he guided the veteran 9-year-old Earl Of
Stormont gelding to a wire to wire 2:02.2 neck victory, the horses first of the
season and 44th of his career.
Starting from the pole
position after two late scratches, Schwartz sent his charge to the lead and
when no one challenged he got his veteran trotter to the first stanza in :31.3
and left alone on the front-end Ladys Big Stormont had a length and a half lead
over Multitaskr Hanover when the half mile timer lashed 1:02.2.
“He hadn't been racing well
this year but today he felt strong and he went on to prove it,” Schwartz said
of is trotter.
When the field headed up the
backside the second time around Bob Davis moved Making Sparks from third
position and charged at the leader but Ladys Big Stormont rebuffed that
challenge. At the top of the lane Yarock tipped Multitaskr Hanover off the
pylons and they took dead aim at Ladys Big Stormont but for them the finish
line came up too soon and they had to settle for second money, a head behind
the winner.
“I was pleasantly surprised
that my horse was strong all the way to the wire,” Schwartz added. “This is the
best race he's gone thus far this year.”
Schwartz, a longtime owner
of harness horses, began his amateur driving career in 1988 and today he scored
his 621st driving victory which is tops in the amateur driving
community. He owns and trains the winner who paid $9.40 for win.
