by John Manzi, for the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association

Monticello, NY — Maybe it was the Michigan-like weather which was cold, windy and snowy on Monday (Dec. 6) that inspired the winners of both of the C.K.G. Billings Championship finals but whatever it was Croswell, Michigan office machinery sales company owner Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford copped the Delvin Miller Memorial Gold Cup Championship and Davison, Michigan farmer Kelly “Sky” Walker cake-walked in the Silver Cup Championship. Both races were contested over a 1-1/4 mile distance at The Meadows.

Oldford won his event with his own Celtic Merchant in a 2:34 clocking while Walker scored an oh-so-easy triumph with his own Abs Super Hall in a time of 2:34.3.

Steve Oldford

Oldford’s trotter went a real gutsy trip. After “Tar Heel Tom” Williams and DW’s Perky Joe led the field by the five-eighths, Oldford moved Celtic Merchant out to challenge and figured he’s wrestle the lead away. But that never happened as Williams’ charge kept Oldford’s trotter on the limb past the mile marker.

When Tony “The Capo” Verruso charged alongside the leaders with Buck ID, DW’s Perky Joe began to fade and his position was taken up by a fast closing Winterleebrook and 17-year-old driver Joey “The Teen” Bongiorno, who were mired at the back of the pack in the early going.

Around the final turn Celtic Merchant had the pylon position, Buck ID was alongside and Winterleebrook was three deep. At that point the drivers began to urge their charges.

In the lane the three trotters seemed to hang with none of the challengers making any headway and at the wire Celtic Merchant somehow gutted it out for a head triumph over Buck ID with Winterleebrook third best.

“We Michiganders may not be good in football but we know how to race a horse or two,” Oldford said cheerfully by cell phone, referring to his and Kelly Walker’s victories in the Championship Finals. “I got to give Allen (Sisco-the trainer) all the credit in the world. He had Celtic (Merchant) in top form.”

Oldford then went on to say that he sort of tried to get Celtic Merchant ready for the Gold Cup Final recently.

“In his last two races I made him go another quarter mile after the race was finished to sort of get him ready for the 1-1/4 mile distance in the Gold Cup Final,” Oldford explained. “Today is also my wife’s birthday so we will have a lot to celebrate tonight.”

Kelly Walker

Walker’s victory in the Silver Cup Championship was a romp.

Must Be Psychic and Vladimir “Butch” Melnichenko had grabbed the early lead and led the field by the five-eighths pole at which point Walker zipped Abs Super Hall around the leader and played catch me if you can. Needless to say no one could and the farther that Abs Super Hall went the stronger she seemed to be.

Around the final turn she had five length on the challengers and at the wire Walker’s trotting mare was a solid eight length winner over “Lawbook Larry” Farley’s Rewrite The Rules with My Victory Song taking home the show dough for another Michigander, “Congenial Gene” Miller.

“It was tough day to race horses with the strong headwind down the homestretch but it didn’t seem to bother my mare,” Kelly Walker said about his driving victory. “She (Abs Super Hall) had been making some breaks recently but today she was at the top of her game and once we got the lead I knew we were going to win it. She was just that good today.”

Both winning drivers are relatively new to the Billings Series. Oldford, now with 45 wins, has only been driving since 2006 though he had a few sporadic outings, not in the Billing Series, in the late 1970s. Walker also started driving in 2006 and to date has won 39 times.