by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Last year Stephane Bouchard’s 410 driving victories topped all other reinsmen at Monticello Raceway and his purse earnings of $2,747,822 is an all-time record at the Catskill Mountains oval. And his 618 seasonal victories ranked him fifth in North America in races won during the 2006 campaign.

But after taking a well deserved vacation, visiting family and friends in Quebec after the holiday season, Bouchard missed the first week of racing action at the Mighty M. Once back in action he started slowly, but in recent days he’s put the pedal to the metal and is moving up on the local leaderboard.

On Thursday (January 25) he won five races on the card, which for Bouchard is hardly more than just another day at the office.

Racehorsephoto.com photo

B Fifty Two won his seasonal debut and was one of five winners on the card for driver Stephane Bouchard.

Bouchard’s five bagger, his second of the season here, began in the third race on the Thursday card when he reined Rick Krupunich’s BP’s Silent Weapon ($6.50) to a 2:03.1 victory.

He then won the fifth race behind Bernie Ban’s B Fifty Two ($5.40) in 2:04 and the seventh with Dave Schneider’s Mannart Sound Wave ($3.10) in 2:01.3.

He scored a 2:01.3 victory with Four Starzzzz Stable’s Four Starz Stone ($3.80) in the ninth and capped the afternoon with a victory behind David Byer’s Skipper Jove ($3.80) in 1:59.4 in the 11th race.

At day’s end, Bouchard’s total of 21 driving victories here moved him into third place on the local leaderboard behind Larry Stalbaum’s 37 and Jimmy Devaux’s 26. And with just his daily presence he serves notice that he will again have to be reckoned with this year.

In other action of note on Thursday’s card, 19-year-old Jordan “the Kid” Stratton reined his fifth winner this year when he subbed for Billy Parker, Jr. and made his own racing luck. Stratton sat a pocket trip behind the pace-setter and then rallied to a head victory with Catherine and Mark Bouthillier’s D A’s Bad Boy, turning back Wise Guy (Larry Stalbaum) in a time of 2:01. Dismissed by the betting public, the pacer returned a $40.20 win mutuel.

After driving in many qualifying races and a few Billings Amateur events early last season, the youngster later received his full driver’s license and finished the year with 30 wins, 24 seconds and 21 thirds in 186 starts for a very commendable .271 UDR.

Last fall, at the Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA Awards Banquet, Stratton was the recipient of the Max A. Brewer Award, as the most outstanding young driver at Monticello Raceway — an accolade that he surely seems to be living up to.