by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — What happens when a wire-to-wire 1:54.2 feature race winner comes back the next week in the same class and draws the rail?

He wins again.

That’s exactly what happened with Ashford Castle N in Monticello Raceway’s $14,300 Preferred Pace on Tuesday, May 15.

Last Tuesday, May 8, the foreign-bred pacer wired the field in a 1:54.2 clocking. After drawing the rail this week, Ashford Castle N repeated last week’s performance, only this time he stopped the timer in 1:56.1 en route to another victory in the Mighty M feature.

Racehorsephoto.com photo

Ashford Castle N (#1) holds off Fenman (#4) for his eighth season’s victory.

Trainer Tim Case again handed the lines to Jimmy Devaux, and Devaux did what he had done seven previous times this season with Ashford Castle N, when he reined the Holmes Hanover 7-year-old gelding to another wire-to-wire triumph.

Needless to say, Ashford Castle N was sent off as the 9-10 favorite in the contest even though he faced better competition this week.

Devaux and Ashford Castle N set sail from the rail and were three lengths in front at the quarter pole in :27.4. The pacer then got a :30.1 breather in a :58 half, but at that point Starfire (Bruce Aldrich, Jr.) moved first-up. The two leaders paced a :29 third panel with Ashford Castle N still on the rail and in the lead when the timer flashed 1:27 as they passed the three-quarter pole.

Shadowing Ashford Castle N and tucked in the two hole from the start was Fenman, with Ray Schnittker at the controls, and after Ashford Castle N put away Starfire, Schnittker moved on the leader in the final turn and the two pacers locked up in a stretch duel.

Though Fenman was slowly gaining on Ashford Castle N, in the lane he ran out of racetrack and finished second best, a head behind the winner.

Owned by Larry Baron of Horsham, Pa., Ashford Castle N paid $3.80 for win.

An accident occurred in the second race on the card when Tom Collins (Greg Decker, Jr.), who was sitting third on the inside as the field approached the final turn, made a stand-still break. Although the trailing horses tried to skirt the pacer, three weren’t so lucky and their drivers got dumped out.

Greg Merton, his brother Mike, and Ken Devaux all fell hard to the ground although their horses stayed on their feet. The Merton brothers didn’t drive any more on the rest of the card, but Devaux came back to drive in the next race.

Although bruised, none of the trio were seriously hurt and the Mertons are expected to drive on the Wednesday, May 16, card. Devaux, however, begged off his one mount and will recuperate another day.

The drivers undoubtedly benefited by Monticello Raceway’s mandatory safety vest rule.

“I’m glad we had our safety vests on, because without them we might have been hurt more seriously,” Greg Merton said.