Oak Grove, KY — As the sun was beginning to set on a great day of harness racing at Oak Grove Racing and Gaming on Monday (May 20), the United States Harness Drivers Club — specifically Club member Peter Kleinhans — was about to put icing on the cake.

Kleinhans, whose history in harness racing stretches back nearly four decades, was in the sulky back of his newly acquired 6-year-old gelding Jim Strikesitrich (Sunshine Beach) and proceeded to scorch the Oak Grove oval in a lifetime best 1:52.1.

The margin of victory was a neck short of 10 lengths as Jim Strikesitrich was on-the-bit leaving and, after a quick yield to Ayr Pioneer GB at the sizzling :26.3 opener, reclaimed command and carded subsequent fractions of :54.4 and 1:23.3 before a :28.3 finale pierced the wire in 1:52.1. Left in the wake of Jim Strikesitrich was Captain Mckee, driven by Jafari Frazier, with Shes A Fireball, handled by Cassidy Whitton, third.

Roni Vandervort trains for Kleinhans as Jim Strikesitrich won for the second time in nine starts this semester and 21st time career-wise, sending his lifetime earnings to $117,098. The winner went off at 53 cents to a dollar and paid $3.06 to win.

Driving sparingly in amateur events, Kleinhans now has six wins this year in 27 starts — his most successes in a season since 2005 when he won 10 times. He now has 70 career wins — and his second straight success over the past two amateur sessions, having won with Paperback Thriller last week.