Freehold Raceway wrapped up the Harold Kelly Memorial Pacing Series this Saturday (January 23), with a pair of finals.
The division I final was restricted to horses with a TrackMaster Horse Rating between 68.00 and 71.50 at the start of the series. Test Ride, a first-leg winner two races back, took home the lion s share of the $10,000 purse with a 1 1/2-length victory.
Jim Marohn Jr. sent him to the front early on from post position three, and though he had a hard time clearing to the lead, he made it there just after the opening quarter. He maintained the lead heading around the far turn the final time, then encountered a stiff challenge from Panthers Pinot as they turned for home. However, Test Ride held everyone at bay, and held on for the 2/1 win. He s owned by George Beck and trained by Symon Spicer.
After being sidelined last year for the first time since its inception, the C.K.G. Billings Harness Driving Series is in the process of resuming races again this season, albeit with a reduced schedule.
“Last year was a tough year for all of us,” noted Billings Series president Tony Verruso. “The Billings was unable to race at all for the first time in 38 years. Looking forward to this year, I still see obstacles to construct any type of series as we have had in the past. Horsemen are reluctant to travel as far as they used to, and with still so many COVID restrictions in place, many are unable to.
He may not have had the best horse in the race, but John Calabrese put his trotter in a place where he could win and that s just what Stinglike A B K did in the $9,000 American Harness Drivers Club Trot at Freehold Raceway on Saturday afternoon (January 16).
After starting from the six-hole Calabrese hustled his charge away from the gate and they settled in second behind Caulfield and driver Todd Whitney who then led the field by the first quarter in 30 seconds over a track that was rated good .
Heading to the halfway point in 1:01.1 Caulfield got mild pressure from The Cuse Is Loose (Tony Verruso) who had made a break before the start but Whitney and his trotter remained undaunted and they kept showing the way.
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.
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