East Rutherford, NJ –  After a brief hiatus, the amateurs were back in full swing Friday night (Sept. 11) at the Big M.  Ten pacers went to post in the first race on the card.

As is a standard in the amateur event, several horses left hard for the lead and at the quarter pole, there was a speed duel with three horses parked on the outside.  Race Me Rocky (Bob Davis) and Conman’s Dream (Samuel King) battled for three quarters of the mile and then the outer flow and closers came calling.

Post time favorite Forever Worth It with David Glasser in the bike took the lead heading for home but Marianna Monaco, driving long shot Lear Seelster, went by him like he was standing still as he mentioned to this reporter after the race.

She made a bold four wide move from tenth and last at the top of the stretch and cleared to win by 3-1/2 lengths with a final time of 1:54.1, including a 27.2 last quarter, and paid $67 to win.

Lear Seelster is a 5-year-old gelding by Mach Three owned by Chad Lennon of NJ and trained by Vincent Stallworth.

The amateurs will be back in action next Friday night (Sept. 18) at the Big M with post time scheduled for 7:15.