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. And that’s exactly where the veteran amateur driver put his Boots N Chains in the $9,000 American Harness Drivers Club trot at Freehold Raceway on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 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 still had command.

When the leaders trotted by the three-quarters they were still one-two. On the final turn, however, If I Must struggled and 18-1 shot Can Do, driven by Joe Lee, took up the chase and they trotted alongside the leader at the top of the stretch but Boots N Chains rebuffed the challenge and held strong all the way to the wire winning by a neck over Can Do. Two lengths in the rears garnering the show dough was Dark Pool, driven by Dawn Anderson.

Trained by Kyle Spagnola for Hechkoff,, Boot N Chains won for the fifth time this season and boosted his yearly earnings to over $46,000. For the winning driver, Bob Hechkoff, it was his 105th driving victory.