by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — After nearly four months out of action because of a racing accident, driver Jim Meittinis was happy to just get back on the racetrack. To win his first start in his return was what he called “icing on the cake.”

Meittinis won with Mr Fenwick on August 18 at Freehold Raceway. Meittinis also trains the 3-year-old trotting gelding, which he bought in July and owns with Deborah Simonelli’s British Betty Racing Stable and Linda Meittinis.

“It was a great feeling,” Meittinis said about the victory. “I’ve got some new owners in the business and it was their first win picture. It was just a great day all around. It was a devastating few months, but you’ve got to keep fighting. To win was icing on the cake.”

USTA photo

Jim Meittinis

Meittinis fractured three vertebrae in a racing accident at Freehold on April 24. He underwent more than two months of physical therapy and additional medical attention to get back to action.

“I also traumatized the lower portion of the back, which ended up being the most painful after everything was said and done,” Meittinis said. “It was rough. I lost a whole good part of the year, but I’m awake, I’m alive and well.”

Meittinis, who has 1,475 career victories, had won 30 races this year at the time of his accident. After picking up his victory with Mr Fenwick, Meittinis got another triumph with Pilgrims Truffles in a division of the New Jersey Sire Stakes.

On Wednesday, Meittinis will drive Pilgrims Truffles in the $161,800 Kentuckiana Stallion Management for 2-year-old filly trotters at Indiana Downs. She is trained by Scott Andrews and owned by Rodney Andrews, Edward Andrews, Pinstripe Stable, and Damian Meola. The Andrews make up Pilgrim Farms, in Massachusetts.

“Pilgrim Farms has been very good to me,” Meittinis said. “We’ve had a lot of success together and they kept the faith. Scotty was training a yearling for us this winter in Florida, so I went down once a month and sat behind all of his horses. I sat behind (Pilgrims Truffles) quite a bit in Florida and she was a natural all winter long. She was a very nice filly.”

A daughter of Chocolatier-Glide Chip, Pilgrims Truffles was purchased as a yearling for $45,000 under the name Chocolate Pedia. She was third in her first start, beaten by only a length, and second in her next outing, beaten by a neck by Win Doctor in 1:56.1 at the Meadowlands.

“Knock on wood, since her first baby race she’s been right at it,” Meittinis said. “Scotty’s got a barn full of nice horses. He does a tremendous job preparing his horses.”

Win Doctor is also in the 10-horse Kentuckiana field. Also entered is Merrie Annabelle runner-up Crème De Cocoa, Merrie Annabelle finalist Angelette Hanover, and Circle City winner Tawesome More.