Monticello, N.Y. – Usually when track records are broken, they are shaved by a mere 1/5 second or so, but on Wednesday, August 11, Ahundreddollarbill (PP5) trotted the fastest mile ever in the 63-year history of Monticello Raceway, smashing the existing record by one second and a 1/5, and taking the lone division of NYSS, worth $112,000, in 1:54.1. Aside from setting the All-Age Trotting record, he also reset the record for Three-Year-Old Trotting Geldings of 1:55.2, held by Gural Hanover.
As he left the gate 1-5, betting favorite Ahundreddollarbill was in no hurry to get to the front, arriving there past the ¼ in 28, followed by Dewey Arnold. Ahundreddollarbill continued to cut fractions of 57 to win by a length over the pocket-sitting Dewey Arnold in 1:54.1, trotting his final stanza in 28.3.
It was the third consecutive win for Ahundreddollarbill, all of them coming in NYSS competition. In his wake, he has now set four track records in the state at Saratoga, Yonkers, Vernon and now Monticello. It was his seventh win of the year out of eight starts for the talented son of Chapter Seven. Dewey Arnold (Jason Bartlett) finished second, followed by Credit Con (Scott Zeron).
The son of Chapter Seven is owned by Crawford Farms Racing and James Crawford of Erieville, N.Y. The win pushed his season earnings to over $367,000 and career earnings of $437,000. He is trained by Tony Alagna and was driven to victory by regular driver Andrew McCarthy. This season, Monticello Raceway hosted four Sire Stakes and set three new track records in the process.
----Excelsior A winners were Barn Hall and Mark McDonald, scoring in 1:59.2 in a non-wagering event before the first race, and Chapolier - Trond Smedshammer in 1:57.2 - $6.10. In the lone Excelsior B race, Spotlessreputation won in 1:58.2 - $2.10 with Jason Bartlett in the bike.
