by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — The Monticello-Goshen Chapter USHWA scribes know talent when they see it and they have been on the money with their recent choices for their annual Rising Star Award recipient. In recent years they’ve cited Jordan Stratton, Jimmy Marohn Jr. and Austin Siegelman, but through the years they’ve named George Brennan, Jimmy Taggart Jr. and Greg Merton to name a few.

Geri Schwarz photo

Jason Ryan won four races on Tuesday at Monticello.

This year their Rising Star Award will go to 25-year-old Jason Ryan and it just so happened that he won four races on the Tuesday (Nov. 11) card at the Mighty M.

His first victory was with Tiffany Barrett’s Kevin’s Apple ($27.40) in 1:58.2 and he followed that with a 1:56.3 triumph behind Steven Moore’s KB’s Bad Boy ($15.60).

With win number three he lit up the toteboard with Laurie Patistas’ Jet Set Style in a 1:56.4 mile. The pacer paid $72.50, $17.20 and $13.60 across the board.

Ryan capped his afternoon when he won the 12th and final race with Andrew Adamczyk’s See You Smile in a time of 1:55.4 and that win was worth $17.40 for each $2 pari-mutuel ticket.

“After the races were completed somebody called me ‘longshot Ryan’ because all my winners paid double figures,” Ryan said. “I know a couple of them had a decent chance but I was certainly surprised with Jet Set Style being 35-1 from the rail. But (trainer Bob) Lounsbury had one (Mr Tommy Fra) in there that was odds-on and he never got untracked from the seven hole. Starting from the inside I got a two-hole trip and my horse finished strong.”

The transplanted Canadian began the season here at the Mighty M in early January and he opened some eyes with his driving abilities over the months that he was here. He later moved on to Saratoga Raceway and then during the late summer back to Running Aces Harness Park in Minnesota where he competed well the previous year.

But this season at the Minnesota race track Ryan finished as the leading driver with 90 winners. When that track closed he moved back to Monticello Raceway and he plans on being here throughout the winter.

He currently has driven 148 winners thus far this season which is his best output in his career.

Asked what the future will bring he replied, “I’d like to race at Yonkers and the Meadowlands in the future but I know I’ll have to pay my dues before I’ll be able to,” Ryan admitted.