by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway
Monticello, NY — When Bob Lounsbury paid $3,000 for the pacing mare that wouldn’t be competitive — so the previous owner said — at Pocono Downs, he obviously knew what he was doing. On Monday (September 26) at Monticello Raceway his acquisition, Edie’s Desire, kept paying dividends when the 5-year-old Real Desire mare used the front-end route to notch her 15th seasonal triumph, which was also her fifth consecutive victory.
Geri Schwarz photo
Zeke Parker and Edie’s Desire turned back Bruce Aldrich, Jr. with Blue Creek Angie.
Regular driver Bruce Aldrich, Jr. had to give up the mount because he had his own Blue Creek Angie in the same $7,500 claiming event. So trainer Lounsbury handed the lines to Zeke Parker and after Aldrich circled Edie’s Desire on the first turn Parker zipped right back to the lead before the quarter and from there they were as invincible as when Aldrich won the previous four races. Edie’s Desire paced the last half in :58.2 en route to a 1:57.2 triumph over Blue Creek Angie and Aldrich.
“I was sorry to have to give up that drive because my mare (Blue Creek Angie) was in against her and when Zeke got the drive I knew Edie’s Desire would be hard to beat,” said Aldrich, who is currently in a battle with Parker for leading driver honors. “Blue Creek Angie has been racing real good, too, and has 11 wins this year but we couldn’t beat Edie’s Desire today.”
Perhaps it was more than just losing to Parker in that contest that sort of bothered Aldrich. Maybe it was the five other races that Parker won on the afternoon card.
Last Thursday Aldrich had another five-bagger and at the start of this week he trailed Parker by just two victories. And even though Aldrich won two races on the afternoon card he now finds himself again trailing Parker by six wins, 287-281.
When Edie’s Desire won the fifth race it was already Zeke’s third win on the card. He had won the first race with Warden Woody in 1:55.4 and after Aldrich won the second with trotter Dua Don A in 2:02.2, Parker then won the third with Keystone Endurance in a time of 1:59.4.
Aldrich copped the sixth race with 16-1 shot Haley And Taylor in 1:59.1 but Parker won again in the eighth, this time behind trotter Sin To Win in 2:00.1.
And Zeke wasn’t done there. He proceeded to win the 10th with trotter Beach Vacation in 2:00 and then won the 12th with Lucky Angel in 1:57.3.
However, even though Parker reined the co-favorite in the 13th race he couldn’t get the job done in that contest when he finished a well beaten sixth.
“It seemed like it was all or nothing at all for me today,” Parker admitted at the end of the racing program. “I drove in 11 races and if I didn’t win I was off the board.”