MONTICELLO’S BILLINGS TROTS TO HANNAH MILLER, JOE LEE, & JAMES MARSHALL IV

by john manzi for the CKG Billings Amateur Driving Series

The Grand Circuit of amateur racing, also known as the CKG Billings Series, moved on to Monticello Raceway on Thursday, June 2  and when the director of racing secretary, Eric Warner, opened the entry box for that day he was pleasantly surprised to find 20 entries in the Billings Trot which would allow him to be able to card three good trotting events in eastern region action for Thursday and with them Monticello Raceway was able to offer 11 betting contests on the card that day.

“Hurricane Hannah” Miller won the first Billings trot with Blazin Delores in 2:00 while “Yankee Joe” Lee was triumphant with Woody in 2:01.3 in another.  James Jimmy Boy” Marshall IV scored in 1:58.4 with KLM Express in yet another.

In her event Ms. Miller scored her 11^th driving victory thus far this season and explained her victorious journey via email.

” Blazin Delores raced great,” the talented miss said at days end. “She was able to leave and get a trip while Dein Spriggs (with St Patty’s Doll) and Bob Davis (with Swift Blizzard) battled it out for the front. I waited for the passing lane and got up in time.”

St. Patty’s Doll was second, beaten by just a head in a tight photo. Swift Blizzard photoed-out “Smokin’ Joe” Faraldo’s, For You Almostfree for third money.

Owned and trained by Laurie Molnar Blazin Delores paid $14.80 for win.

In the third Billings event “Hurricane Hannah: was up behind the favorite, Jacks To Open but racing luck was not in her favor.

“Jack had a tougher trip in the last Billings race but I was able to work my way into the two hole before the half,” she explained. ”He still raced good and held on for second.”

The victory in that contest went to “Jimmy Boy” Marshall (IV) when he guided  his uncle's KLM Express to a gate to wire triumph in a solid 1:58.4 over the Mighty M’s double oval. Miller’s, Jacks To Open, was second just 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner despite being parked to the half. .Dave “the Rave” Offenberg took home the show dough with Bluebird Kidsqueen.

The race winner, KLM Express, is owned by "Jimmy Boy's"  uncle Richard Aiken and trained by his grandfather Bill Aiken. The trotter returned a $7.60 win mutuel.

In the other Billings event Joe Lee, the New York Yankee’s locker room manager, returned to the winners circle again when he reined Woody to a come-from-behind one length victory over Ladys Big Stormont and driver Dein “the Dream” Spriggs  in a 2:01.3 clocking. Third in that mile was Magglio, driven by Allen “Bo Bo” Sisco.  

After the races were completed Lee expressed pleasure from his driving victory. “In today’s fifth race there were a bunch of breaking horses so I decided to leave with Woody, which doesn't happen often, and we ended-up in the two hole as Dein Spriggs took command with  Ladys Big Stormont.

 “At the half Allen Sisco came out from third with Magglio and pressed Spriggs’ trotter the rest of the way. I waited until the passing lane and slid up the rail (plyons) to win by half a length and paid $44.00 as the longest shot on the board. Woody was great today in the turns and had plenty of trot in the lane.

Woody, a 6-year old altered son of Glidemaster, is owned by Woody Hoblitzell and trained by Bruce Aldrich, Sr.

Billings action continues Friday night (June 3) with a Midwest region trot at Scioto Downs.

NJSS Finals and Jersey Fest at The Meadowlands on Saturday

East Rutherford, NJ – The New Jersey Sires Stakes (NJSS) Finals for three-year-old trotters and pacers will each be raced for a purse of $100,000 on Saturday night, June 4 at The Meadowlands. Deo Volente Farms is the title sponsor for all four divisions of the stake.

Among the contenders are the two-year-old trotting and pacing national divisional leaders from last season, Southwind Frank and Boston Red Rocks respectively.

The evening’s stakes begin in race two, where Boston Red Rocks gets underway from post two for Tim Tetrick in a six horse field. The strapping Rocknroll Hanover colt took the first leg in 1:50.3, then met with road trouble last week when Tetrick was forced to take up sharply to avoid the breaking Ideal Rocky resulting in a third place finish. With a hundred grand on the line the surest course to victory is likely a forwardly placed one for Boston Red Rocks and his team of trainer Steve Elliott along with owners Peter Blood and Rick Berks.

Southwind Frank starts from the open outside post eight in the eighth race for Yannick Gingras and finds a pretty good group of horses to his left. This Muscle Hill scion won all the majors last year and is the fastest freshman trotting colt in the long history of harness racing by virtue of his 1:52.2 win in Lexington last fall. He dominated this group with a 1:52.1 romp in the first leg then stayed home while Maven’s Way edged Jack Vernon in an eye-popping 1:51.4 last week. Add prospects like Bar Hopping and Brooklyn Hill to the mix and you’ve got yourself a horse race. Ron Burke trains the favorite, who now races for the eponymous Southwind Frank Partners.

Gingras will also be in the sulky of the consesus choice in the filly trot, directing the fortunes of All The Time (PP #2) for owners Marvin Katz and Al Libfeld. Trainer Jimmy Takter also chose to defer last week after her effortless 1:53.2 win in the first leg. A full field of ten will face the starter in this, the sixth race of the card.

The pacing fillies go forward in the fourth race and Emilio and Maria Rosati’s Blue Moon Stride (PP #6) has the favorite’s role off a pair of dominant wins against these young ladies the past two weeks. A new shooter appeared last week in Rocknroll Vision who was a good second to the fave and has drawn the outside post seven for the final. Mark Harder trains and Andrew McCarthy is scheduled to drive Blue Moon Stride in her quest to defend her title.

Promotions-wise the action is moving outdoors with the “30 & Under Handicapping Contest” offering $5,000 in prizes to the neophyte crowd on Friday evening. Interested parties may sign up until 7:00 p.m. on the rooftop Victory Terrace. Saturday marks the return of the Jersey Fest Food Truck Mash-Up brings hungry fans from all over the Garden State.

For the experienced horseplayer the standard wagers and guarantees are in place and the last race Hi-5 Super Jackpot carryover stands at $237,882 to start the racing weekend.

Who Says That Sets Lifetime Mark In Buffalo Win

by Brian J. Mazurek, for Buffalo Raceway

HAMBURG, N.Y. --- Who Says That turned in a lifetime best of 1:55.3 on Wednesday night (June 1) and easily strolled away from Memumsnotnice to take the $8,200 featured pace for the mares at Buffalo Raceway.

Sitting third behind the pace-setting Ugly Betty (Jim Morrill Jr.) and Memumsnotice (Ray Fisher Jr.), Who Says That came first over just past the three-quarter marker with Drew Monti in the sulky.

Turning for home, Who Says That ($11.60) zoomed past the faltering Ugly Betty and never looked back in notching the 1-1/2 length victory. Memumsnotnice got up in time for second while Ugly Betty had to settle for third.

Owned by Vogel & Wags Nags Stable, Jack Rice and Chris Shambo, it was the seventh win in 19 starts in 2016 for Who Says That (Badlands Hanover-Powercorp). It was the first victory in just two starts at Buffalo Raceway for Who Says That, a winner now of $22,762 this season and $49,958 lifetime. Maria Rice handled the training duties.

Todd Cummings finished with a triple with Monti and Fisher Jr. having two each. JD Perrin and Rice scored training doubles.

Racing will continue on Friday night with a 12-race card slated at 5 p.m. There's a $2,020 carryover in the Pick-5 which begins in the fifth race.

For more information including the the latest news, upcoming promotions, results and race replays, go to www.buffaloraceway.com