from the PHHA/Pocono

Wilkes-Barre, PA — In s story by Communications Hall of Famer John Manzi, written in his capacity of publicist for the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series, he quotes Billings participant David Glasser as agreeing with the old adage “If you think your horse is the best, send him right to the lead.”

Curtis Salonick photo

David Glasser and Celebrity Stimulus won the $12,000 C.K.G. Billings Series Eastern Regional final by a nose in 1:57.

And Glasser, a 50-year-old president of a litigation support company and a licensed driver for 36 years (we’ll explain that math in a minute), lived up to the letter of the law in his stated maxim, putting his own Celebrity Stimulus on the lead and never surrendering control in taking the $12,000 C.K.G. Billings Series Eastern Regional final by a nose in 1:57 on Sunday night (Nov. 13) at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.

Glasser obtained a matinee license for driving at age 14, and was driving in purse races at age 16. This precociousness and durability adds first irony and then support to his Billings sobriquet as “Poppa,” but he’s retained his skills over the years despite only sporadic sulky-sitting, with eight of his 32 career victories coming in 2016, and none likely to be more important than this one.

Starting from the rail, Glasser went away swiftly with Celebrity Stimulus, a 6-year-old altered son of Cantab Hall, with 2015 Amateur Driver of the Year Hannah Miller filling the two-hole from post two with Jacks Or Better and Karets (post six, driver Joseph Lee) stuck outside in mid-pack. After getting the quarter in :27.4, Glasser started backing the pace down, and Miller took a shot with her horse, vacating the two-hole before the :58.2 half.

Celebrity Stimulus and Glasser increased the backstretch speed to :28.4 and Miller ducked back into the pocket with Jacks Or Better, leaving Karets and Lee again outside raw to the 1:27.1 three-quarters.

Through the lane, Miller came up the famed Pocono Pike, and Lee rallied the indefatigable Karets, but Celebrity Stimulus responded to Glasser’s urging to win by a nose in 1:57 over Karets, with Jacks Or Better, the race favorite, settling for third.

John Butenschoen recently took over the training of Celebrity Stimulus from Homer Hochstetler after the season at Vernon came to an end.

There was an $18,000 event for non-winners of seven races on both gaits. The pace went to the Dragon Again gelding Have Not Read It, who stepped up in class but nevertheless posted his second straight victory for owner/driver Simon Allard and trainer/brother Rene, winning by two lengths in 1:53.2.

On the trot, the veteran B Yoyo took advantage of an also eligible condition, moving out from the two-hole in the stretch and winning easily in 1:54 as the favorite, with Jim Marohn Jr. handling the Striking Sahbra gelding for trainer Richard Johnson and owners Bill Lambos and Dionisios Liberatos.

And for those following the recent successful pairing of driver George Napolitano Jr. and trainer Chris Oakes, they did win a race together on Sunday at Pocono, but it took them until race six to visit the winner’s circle. But not to worry about a total break with the recent tradition of the team starting the card off hot for Napolitano swept the double at Harrah’s Philadelphia Sunday afternoon en route to three victories on that card. And the Pocono win came with Oakes’ first starter of the night, so he still has ‘early speed.’