by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway
Monticello, NY — With her stunning 1:56.4, eight length victory on Monday (September 12) at Monticello Raceway, the unwanted pacer, Edie’s Desire, scored her 14th season’s triumph and moved into second place among all Standardbreds in North America. She is just two wins behind the season’s leading race winner, Canadian owned Mythic Voyage, who also added another triumph to his stats on September 11t at Rideau Carleton.
Last week the story came to light that Edie’s Desire’s former owner didn’t want the mare because she couldn’t do at Pocono Downs, where he races.
Although she had been racing fairly well with a $4,000 claiming tag here, the previous owner advertised her online for $3,000 and received no takers. But when Bob Lounsbury, her trainer, said to the owner, “since you offered her for $3,000 would you sell her to me at that price?” a deal was struck and Edies’s Desire stayed in the Lounsbury barn and became the property of Lounsbury’s girlfriend, Margaret Olmstead.
Geri Schwarz photo
Edie’s Desire was a 1:56.4 winner on Monday with Bruce Aldrich, Jr. up.
On Monday afternoon Edie’s Desire was driven to victory by Bruce Aldrich, Jr. and that triumph was the 5-year-old daughter of Real Desire’s fourth consecutive and seventh win in her last nine starts.
“I don’t know what Bob is doing to keep her at the top of her game but whatever it is it is certainly working,” Aldrich said after his victory with Edie’s Desire. “She just demolished the field she was in with today and has been untouchable on the front-end in her last four starts.”
Aldrich sent the mare to the lead from the three hole and she paced unchallenged through fractions of :28.2. :57.4 and 1:26.3 before rambling home an easy winner in a season’sl best clocking of 1:56.4.
Sent off as the prohibitive favorite, Edie’s Desire paid just $2.80 for win.
It was one of three wins on the card for Aldrich who is in a battle for top driving honors with Zeke Parker, who won five times on Monday. With his victories Parker opened a little daylight on Aldrich and he now leads in wins by a count of 264-260.