Many of Freehold Raceway s regulars were in the spotlight this Saturday (January 9), as Freehold kicked off the Harold Kelly Memorial Pacing Series.
Local horsemen flooded the box for the first leg of this series, which is restricted to horses and geldings owned, sired, or foaled in New Jersey. The first division, restricted to horses with a TrackMaster Horse Rating between 68.00 and 71.50, attracted 23 entries, and was split up into three races.
Reuben Tune Ups took his division of the first leg at 9-1, taking charge after the three-quarter point and holding on. He went the mile in 1:58, for owner/trainer Ann DePietro and driver Jim Marohn Jr. Officer Blue Chip prevailed in his split, winning a stretch battle with Our Art and Heaven for the 7/1 win. Jack Pelling had the winning drive for owner/trainer John Urbanski., stopping the clock in 1:58.3.
A two-hole journey and a late rally was just what Marianna Monaco needed to guide 13-1 shot SB Fine And Dandy to a nose win over another long shot, 29-1 Broadway Bruiser, in the $9,000 American Harness Drivers Club Trot at Freehold Raceway on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 2).
Monaco played hardball and parked out all comers. Though she did, her trotter had enough in the tank to hold off a late charge from Broadway Bruiser and driver Tony Beltrami for a 2:02 win in the first amateur driving event of 2021.
Starting from post two, Monaco kept Wygant Prince and Paul Minore on the limb. After Minore found a hole along the pylons, Monaco braced for a challenge from 10-1 Always A Good Time, driven by Joe Faraldo. Headed to the halfway point, SB Fine And Dandy and Always A Good Time hooked up in a duel with Monaco s trotter still holding command all the way to the top of the stretch. As the two leaders headed for home just heads apart, Beltrami came from far back with Broadway Bruiser. SB Fine
For more than four decades, the driving colony at Freehold Raceway has included Diamond Jim Marshall III. That era came to an end on Saturday, but not before Marshall notched one more victory.
Marshall won his 3,820th race in his penultimate drive. He put Rancousy on the lead early on, and never gave it up, holding for a half-length win in the afternoon s 10th race. The winner is owned by Barbara Bongiorno and John Papadakis, and trained by Robert Bongiorno.
Following the race, Marshall was honoured with a ceremony on the track, where he was presented with a ceremonial mug. Jim s wife, Donna, a trainer, and his son, Jim IV, a driver, were present.
Bob Hechkoff
Freehold, NJ Bob Hechkoff learned long ago that if a driver has the best horse in the race there s only one place to be and that is on the front-end. And that s exactly where the veteran amateur harness racing driver put his Boots N Chains in the $9000 American Harness Drivers Club trot at Freehold Raceway on Saturday afternoon(12-19) and the 8-year-old trotter made every pole a winning one en route to a 2:01.1 victory.
After starting from the five-hole Hechkoff sent his charge to the lead and they had two lengths on their competition as they trotted by the first stanza in :29.1. Still comfortably in front as the field headed to the halfway point Paul Minore moved If I Must off the pylons and up to challenge. However Boots N Chains rebuffed his rival and he still had command.
Good things have been coming in multiples recently for members of the Freehold Raceway driving colony. Eric Abbatiello won five races on the card Saturday (December 12), making this the sixth straight day a driver has won at least four races.
Abbatiello got his first winner of the day in Race 3, guiding Black Dan to victory for trainer Dave Wiskow. He gave Albert A Scootin a great pocket-sitting trip in the sixth race, for trainer John Bavosi. He got the hat trick on 20/1 shot Sword ofthe Spirit in Race 10 for trainer Lewis Nunes, and completed the grand slam with front-running Natural Leda in Race 11. Mike Russo was the winning trainer. Abbatiello capped his big day in the 12th race, as Brass Monkey went gate-to-wire for trainer Randy Taft.