by John Manzi, for the NAADA

Monticello, NY — Dave Offenberg and his trotter Whatnblazes out-footed the pacesetter Benn’s Starlet and Tony Verruso to the wire to prevail in the fifth leg of the North American Amateur Drivers Association’s charity trotting series at Freehold Raceway on Saturday afternoon (April 13).

In a race where there were no standouts, Offenberg and his 3-1 shot Whatnblazes scored a gutsy neck victory over Benn’s Starlet and Verruso in a time of 2:00.1. Third place went to For Goodness Lindy and Paul Minore who were winners in the previous leg held at Yonkers Raceway on April 4.

“I started from the four hole and Brad (Rathbone with Killer Whale) left from the two hole and I fell in behind them on the first turn,” Offenberg related. “Then up the backside Tony (Verruso with Benn’s Starlet who was sitting third), made a move to the front and took the lead.

“He stayed there by the half and up the backstretch the second time around I came first-up (with Whatnblazes) and we charged alongside Tony’s horse and we raced as a team from there to the finish and my trotter finally wore down Tony’s horse and we got the victory.”

Whatnblazes is owned by Offenberg’s Allister Stables LLC and trained by Eric Abbatiello. He paid $8.20 for win.

It was the first series triumph for both Offenberg, an owner of an office machinery sales company, and his 7-year-old Duke Of York gelding. Now with his victory Offenberg finds himself second on the series leaderboard with 22 points, some nine behind Verruso, who has won two legs in the charity trotting series.

At series end — and there are still four more preliminary legs — the top eight drivers in points will get a chance to compete in the $14,000 finale at Yonkers Raceway on May 23.

When the winner of that race is crowned, NAADA will again make a sizable donation to a deserving charity, as they have done in previous years.