by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — It was to be the final race of his career and as if scripted, Danzig will go out a winner.

The 10-year-old altered son of Garland Lobell, owned for nearly all of his racing career by Harry Nieberg of Brooklyn, N.Y., scored a 2:04 triumph in a non-winners trot at Monticello Raceway on Friday afternoon, December 21, with his proud owner on hand to witness it. Jimmy Marohn, Jr. drove the $406,000 lifetime winner to an easy 1-1/2 length victory which was Danzig’s 54th of his career.

Racehorsephoto.com photo

Danzig closed out his career with a victory on Friday at Monticello.

Nieberg watched the race from the winner’s circle where the track’s publicity department was set to honor the trotter, win, lose, or draw but Danzig had an idea of his own and with Marohn’s help they made their trip to the winner’s circle because they were victorious.

As if Marohn could hear him, Nieberg was championing a move to the front after the field settled which was exactly what Marohn did. He moved from the third position and grabbed command just before the turn and when he did Nieberg said, “We’ll be tough to beat from here.”

Nieberg, whose eyes were welled-up with joy, was right on the money as he watched Danzig lead his competition around the track and then scoot away in the final turn to coast home an easy winner.

After the race Danzig’s trainer, Jean Claude Jobidon, joined Nieberg in the winner’s circle and he was as proud as his patron.

“I’ve had Danzig most of his career and he has always been a good horse. Though he had to be laid up from time to time with (racing) injuries he always came back and gave his best,” Jobidon said with a French-Canadian accent. “And he could probably still go on and race but Harry doesn’t want anyone to hurt him by racing him until he drops so instead he wants him to have a good home.”

Nieberg had been seeking a good home for Danzig when two weeks ago he notified the Mighty M publicity department that his next start would be his last. And though Danzig’s race last week was scuttled because of snow, in the interim Nieberg found a home for Danzig when David Phoenix of Ohio called him and said he would love to have the horse since his other retiree had just lost a companion.

“I got a call from Dave Palone the other day and he told me that Phoenix has one of his retired horses and that Danzig will have the greatest of homes there,” Nieberg said.

Asked if he had changed his mind about retiring Danzig after his victory Nieberg quickly snapped, “Nope.”

“I had other horses in the past that were also good to me and after I lost them in claimers they quickly went downhill and there is no way that I’m going to take a chance with Danzig. He deserves to live a life of Riley and I feel confident that he will.”