by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Lookout Bruce Aldrich, Jr.; don’t look over your shoulder, Jimmy Marohn, Jr. There’s a new kid on the block and he’s hungry for winning races. He’s Jason Ryan and he’s got talent.

On the muddy Monticello Raceway card of Tuesday (Jan. 14), Ryan broke out and reined five winners.

Geri Schwarz photo

Jason Ryan won five races on Tuesday at Monticello.

Asked if he moves up when he drives on a muddy track Ryan answered, “Not particularly, but I get along all right when it rains especially if my horses can go forward.”

He started the afternoon winning both ends of the early double with a pair of old-timers. He captured the first race with 11-year- old Lambretta ($3.70) in a 2:01.2 clocking and came back to cop the second with 13-year-old Iwannabesedated ($26.40) in 2:00.

His next triumph came in the seventh race behind front-running Johnny Grippa ($3.00) in 2:00.1 and he then proceeded to win the eighth with Threestepstoheaven ($11.20) in 1:58.3.

After Ryan scored his fourth victory he was contacted in the paddock and congratulated on his prowess on the afternoon card. He seemed to take his victories as a matter of fact and offered that he thought he could have won four last week when the race card had to be cancelled due to inclement weather.

“Winning four races is a whole lot better than thinking you can win four,” he added readily, and then was asked if he thought he could win any more on the card.

“I have a chance in the 10th (with Machinist) but he’s in against a horse (Hickory Louie) that won 13 times last year and he figures to be the best,” he said. “But you never know.”

Lo and behold, Ryan finished the day with a victory behind Machinist ($6.60) when they got up in the final strides to collar Hickory Louie, the 1-2 favorite, in a time of 2:01.1.

Ryan, 25, is ready for a break-out season. He now has 14 horses at the Mt. Hope Training Center in Orange County, not 30 miles from the Mighty M and just an hour’s ride to Yonkers or the Meadowlands.

“I’d like to race there in the future but I know I have to pay my dues before I’m able to,” Ryan admitted.

Asked if he ever had five winners on one racing program before, he laughed and he said, “I darn near won all the races on a card at Sudbury Downs a couple of years ago. Sudbury is a small track and they had just six races on that card. I won five and was beat a nose in the other.”

After racing the past few years at smaller tracks and having won 111 races last year and 113 the previous, both from a limited amount of starts, the Prince Edward Island native is moving up and moving closer to the big money. And he figures to be a player before too long.