by John Manzi, for the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association

Monticello, NY — Some like to say it all comes down to the Breeders Crown and it does for the horses but for the dedicated amateur drivers competing in the Billings Trotting Series this year it’ll all come down to the final preliminary events at Yonkers Raceway on Monday (Nov. 15).

Three six-horse trots will go to post that evening with the top three drivers in the Eastern Region points category all having mounts and that region’s point champion will be decided when the contests are over.

Atop the leaderboard — but not by much — is “Gentleman Jamie” Marra with 109 points. Breathing down his neck is Simeon “Hot Rod” Hunsdon with 108 points and with an outside chance to take home the bacon is Tony “The Capo” Verruso, whose current point total is 101.

In the second division on Monday, Mara will handle Civil Cause and leave from from the six hole while Verruso has Orphan Victor from post five. In the third split Hunsdon will drive REL Postage Due and start from the five hole.

Since each of the battlers have their best 12 finishes posted Marra will need at least a second place finish to gain any points and Hunsdon needs at least a third place finish to gain on the leader. And it appears that Verruso will need a victory to get into contention but even with that he may not reach the top spot, depending on where Marra and Hunsdon finish in their splits.

Though crowning a points champ is pertinent the last Billings prelims prior to the regional finales are filled with 15 other talented amateurs who will be driving on Monday night.

Two of the hottest at this time are Gerry “the Catskill Cat” Fielding who will again jump up behind Thirty Trips from the pole position in the first trot and looks to score his third consecutive amateur driving victory with the trotter. Fielding won a Billings trot at Monticello Raceway on Oct. 25 and then came back to win the NAADA Trotting Series’ $12,000 Final at Yonkers a week ago.

The other is Joey “the Teen” Bongiorno who has recently taken the series by storm. The 17-year-old high school student, who has won three consecutive Billings events, has prompted competitor Dave “Steady As” Yarock to lightheartedly ask Joey’s mother after his most recent victory, “Can’t you find him a girlfriend so he can do something else other than beat up on us.”

The teenager will be up behind Winterleebrook with whom he won a Billings trot at Monticello Raceway on Oct. 25. They will leave from post position two in the first Billings trot that night.

The Billings races will be presented off the betting card with post time slated at 6 p.m.