by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — When Monticello Raceway driver Kevin Hough shaved his head a few days ago he swore he wasn’t trying to emulate Jody Jamieson, one of Canada’s leading drivers.

Geri Schwarz photo

Kevin Hough is in action with his head fully covered since he shaved it a few days ago.

“I was in the midst of a bad streak and I wanted to change my luck,” the 24-year-old reinsman recently told the Mighty M publicity office. “For the first few weeks of this year I was in a bad slump and just this past Friday I was traveling to Buffalo (Raceway) to drive a few horses over the weekend and my truck blew up. I was in a funk.

“Last fall I was on a hot streak but I began this year finding it tough to win a race. I had to do something. I’m a superstitious guy so I shaved my head in hopes of breaking out of a slump.”

Whether or not the shaved head broke the spell, last Thursday Hough won his third race of the fledgling season here and then on Monday afternoon (Jan. 24) he had a hat trick.

He won the second race with Bobby Merton, Jr.’s SJ’s Leo in a time of 2:01.2 and then he copped the third with David Duspiva’s Jim Jam Jigolett in 2:00.2. His final victory on the card came in the 13th race when he guided Ken Daniels’ SF Hazey to a 2:00 triumph.

“I know it may sound crazy but I believe that shaving my head changed my luck,” Hough said after reining the three winners on Monday. “If it wasn’t that, then what was it?”

Hough, like many others from the Wolverine State of Michigan, moved his base of operations east during the 2008 campaign and he has been a regular here since then. Over the past two seasons he has won 164 races and now has 424 in his career.

Last year at the Mighty M Hough reined 80 winners and finished 12th in the final standings. Two years ago the local scribes honored him with the “Rising Star Award.”

“Hey for a 22-year-old kid that was a hard thing to live up to — especially coming in from out of town with a small stable and not being very well known among the local trainers,” Hough added. “But last fall I was on a hot streak and was beginning to feel I was living up to the (Rising Star) award.”

“Kevin’s a fine young man and drives a horse real well and he’ll surely make a mark for himself in the near future,” said the Mighty M’s director of racing, Eric Warner.