by Keith Gisser, director of publicity, Northfield Park

Northfield, OH — Team Northfield made good use of the home field advantage, winning the first two races of the four night Cal-Expo-Northfield Park Pro Am Drivers Challenge. After the first night, Northfield led the competition by a 54-30 score.

Northfield Director of Racing Gregg Keidel won the night’s trot, striking a blow for the amateurs, steering Pauline Rickert’s Country Dion nearly gate-to-wire for a 2:04 win over teammates Aaron Merriman (Mom’s Prize) and Bob Troyer (Bad Situation). A break by The Lady Is A Looker and Brett Miller cost the home team a sweep as Cal-Expo’s Rick Kuebler finished the superfecta with Call Me Your Baby. The score was 28-14 after the first race.

In the pacing leg, Brett Miller scored with Melody Gingery’s Sweetie Peetie, while transplanted Buckeye Rocky Stidham (Lady Truthful) edged Troyer, behind Beverly Jo Cvelbar’s Katie’s Valentine, for the place spot.

Northfield Park hosts the first two legs of the series, which continues on Saturday, June 16, as a team of two California professionals (Stidham and Kuebler) joins two west coast amateurs (David Siegel and Alan Kirschenbaum) against the squad of two pros and two amateurs based at The Flying Turns in two races on each night.

The second leg will be contested on Thursday, July 12 and Friday, July 13 at Cal-Expo. A 13-8-6-5-4-3-2-1 scoring system is used in each eight-horse race over the four nights of racing.

Free past performances of the series races are available at www.trackmaster.com/cgi-bin/axprodlist.cgi/nfl?tfp.

In the Mares Open Handicap, 3-year-old filly Western Montana remained undefeated in two starts with a game, nearly gate-to-wire effort for Todd Jones. The Western Hanover filly was fourth in the Breeders Crown last year, and overcame a parked out :28 opening panel to score in 1:54.4 for owners Diamond Creek Farm and trainer Kelly O’Donnell. Molly Darling N was second and Sand Calady finished third.