by John Manzi, for the C.K.G. Billings Series

Monticello, NY — Glasser and Yarock may sound like a law firm but both are enthusiastic amateur drivers and each won a division in the C.K.G. Billings Series at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday night (Aug. 8).

Glasser won the first $12,000 split with Celebrity Stimulus in 2:04 while Yarock copped the second $12,000 trot with Mr Invincible in a time of 2:04.4. Both trots were non-wagering affairs.

In the first heat David “the Litigator” Glasser started from the pylon position and stayed along the poles throughout the mile. After trotting along in third position while there were multiple moves toward the front end, Glasser stayed put and when the field headed for home he used the passing lane to rally Celebrity Stimulus to a one length victory over Tony “the Capo” Verruso and Sam’s Honeybee. The pacesetter in that contest, Get Packin, with Bob “the Headhunter” Hechkoff aboard, finished third.

The winner, a 4-year-old son of Cantab Hall-Slow Dance Hanover, is owned by Joel Golub and Stuart Oppenheimer.

Glasser, a president of a litigator support company, was always involved with the Standardbred sport. When he was a youngster his parents, Arthur and Evelyn, were enthralled with harness racing and not only owned many horses but they purchased a training farm in Orange County (N.Y.) and raced much of their stock in the metropolitan New York area and at Monticello Raceway.

Young David also became enthralled with racing and earned a driver’s license while a college student. He had driven some winners (21) in the 1980s but there was a hiatus to his driving beginning in 1993 and it wasn’t restarted until 2011 when he joined various local amateur driving clubs. But even then he only drove a few races a season and it wasn’t until this year that he again visited the winner’s circle.

Although he won a race at Yonkers Raceway earlier this year as a member of the NAADA, this was his first Billings victory and third in 14 seasonal starts.

Yarock, on the other hand, marked his seventh seasonal victory and the 50th of his career with his triumph behind Mr Invincible.

In that contest Yarock, an account manager by profession, went down the road after taking command on the first turn and he never relinquished the lead although his trotter was headed momentarily in the lane but surged back to score a neck victory over Rodeo Red and driver “Smokin’ Joe” Faraldo. Peter “Sycamore Ventures” Gerry took home the show dough with Keystone Sadie.

Mr Invincible is an 8-year-old gelding by Angus Hall from Ms Vic and is owned by Yarock.

Both Billings winners are trained by Jimmy Doherty Jr.