from Freehold Raceway

Freehold, NJ — In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Freehold Raceway will be the scene of a special race featuring drivers of Irish heritage on Saturday (March 15).

The winner of the race, which will be sponsored by Mary and Peter Grandich, of Freehold, N.J., will receive a blanket and a trophy. The presentation will be made by Irish-American boxing great Gerry Cooney.

“As a harness owner and racing fan, I’m honored to be sponsoring the St. Paddy Pace,” said Grandich. “My wife, Mary, was born and raised in Ireland and we were married there, so I have a deep connection to the Irish people and culture. I’m looking forward to this ‘green’ day at the races.”

The drivers scheduled to participate in the race are Jack Baggitt, Jr., George Brennan, Corey Callahan, John Sheehan and John McDermott, plus a trio of native Irish drivers, “Irish” Joe Hanney, Anthony Haughan and Jonathan Dunne.

Callahan, the recent recipient of the Rising Star Award, currently leads all North American drivers in both wins and money earnings. George Brennan is a winner of more than 8,000 races lifetime and one of the sport’s leading drivers for many years. Baggitt, Sheehan and McDermott are all longtime Freehold mainstays.

The trio of “Irish” Joe Hanney, Jonathan Dunne and Anthony Haughan is a reunion celebrating many years of driving and training together throughout Ireland, England, Canada and the United States. Dunne, who currently resides in Ireland, holds the driving title in his country as well as in the U.K. Haughan is a top driver in Canada closing in on 1,000 wins.

This will be the first time for Haughan and Dunne participating over the Freehold oval.