by John Manzi, for the C.K.G. Billings Series

Monticello, NY — After making one of the best showings ever by an American a few weeks ago in the World Cup of Amateur Racing in Finland, where he won two of the nine events in the competition, Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford returned to the good ole USA and emerged victorious in a Billings Trot at the Fowlerville, Michigan Fair on Monday (July 21).

On that beautiful summer afternoon at the Wolverine State’s award winning Fowlerville Fair, Oldford catch-drove trainer June Du Russel’s Rub A Dud to a neck victory over What Do You Want and driver Larry “Overhand Serve” Steenbergen in a time of 2:05.1. The show money went to “Lawbook Larry” Farley with his own Rewrite The Rules.

“I had the three hole and sent my trotter to the lead and we opened up daylight,” Oldford said. “We had six or seven lengths all the way until the stretch where Larry (Steenbergen) came charging but we held him off to win it.”

Oldford couldn’t say enough good things about trainer June Du Russel.

“I’d really like to thank trainer June Du Russel for her continued support of amateur racing. She sent out two contenders today in the only leg of Billings action to be raced in Michigan this year. Her second entry, in his first start under June’s watch, was the fourth place finisher, Bold Strike, with new Billings member Jerry Mihelich aboard.

“June has supplied Billings Gold Cup winner Rush N Supreme, Silver Cup winner Starry Night, along with series winners Howmuchubench, Howmacs Amigo, and Ace Hanover. June continues to train and race from her Millington, Michigan farm despite the adverse racing conditions in Michigan.”

On Thursday the east region of the C.K.G. Billings Driving Series will have a semifinal at Yonkers Raceway while on Saturday there will be Billings action in the Midwest region at Northfield Park. And on August 1 at the Meadowlands the annual Hambletonian Amateur Trot is slated.