Monticello, NY — The curtain fell on the 2024 racing season at Monticello Raceway with Laura Aldrich taking her second consecutive training title and Michael Merton taking home top driver honors for the third time at his hometown track.

Merton handily took the 2024 title with a 14-win cushion of 241 wins and earnings of $1,064,580. In addition to competing at Monticello, he also drove successfully at Tioga Downs. His brother Greg finished second with 227 winning drives and earnings of $997,680.
Former multiple dash winning driver James Taggart Jr. was third with 196 wins; Taggart also eclipsed the million dollar mark with purses of $1,016,101. Another former multiple dash winner, Bruce Aldrich Jr., finished fourth with 174 wins. Kyle Dibenedetto had an excellent year with 133 trips to the winner’s circle to take the fifth slot. Thomas Merton also broke into the top ten with 125 wins, good enough for sixth place.
The last two scheduled racing days of the 2024 season were canceled due to warming temperatures affecting the racing surface. The loss of the two dates may have had an impact on the race for leading dash winning trainer. Monica Eriksen was loaded with entries on Monday and Tuesday in an effort to catch Laura Aldrich but was thwarted with the forced cancellations.
Aldrich, 2023’s leading trainer, copped the 2024 title in a tight battle with Eriksen. Aldrich had 104 winners hailing from her barn, while Eriksen was second with 100 winners. Gary Messenger took the show spot with 73, Danny Gill was fourth with 68 wins and Art Green had 53 winners.
Former leading trainer Robert Lounsbury finished the year with 48 wins. Lounsbury trains the 2024 Horse of the Year at the track, Promise For Life.
2025 looks to be an exciting year at the 67-year-old Catskill Mountain half-mile oval with the influx of some fresh blood in the way of new drivers and trainers. Dan Rawlings and Fern Paquet Jr. made an impact in the driver’s colony last year, while trainers Anthony Regina, Richard Campolong and Raheim Strong are all coming off career best seasons and look to continue the momentum into 2025.