Joe Chindano Jr. enters each new season with one basic goal — to steadily improve his numbers from the previous year. When looking at his stats at the completion of 2023, the 24-year-old driver had accomplished that goal for the sixth consecutive year.
Tag: Ken Weingartner
Engblom right back to work after big 2023
After a busy 2023 that saw Per Engblom finish second in North America in wins and fifth in purses, the trainer is set to get right back in action this weekend with 11 horses racing at The Meadowlands. Engblom, a former Jimmy Takter assistant, saw his fifth year with his own stable end with 363 victories and $6.09 million in earnings. Those figures doubled his previous highs in both categories, set in 2022.
Urtel remains positive as he waits for another kidney transplant
When Jim Urtel Jr. was 12, he fell in love with horses and harness racing. In the ensuing years, he enjoyed operating a small stable, often with his father, while also working for several other trainers, primarily in western New York and Pennsylvania. Thirty years after jogging and training his first horse, though, Urtel was forced to give up his days at the barn. The Batavia, N.Y., resident was diagnosed with kidney failure in 2012 and spent eight years on dialysis while waiting for a kidney donation. He finally received a transplant from a deceased donor in 2020, but the kidney has not functioned as hoped, leaving Urtel in need of another transplant.
Cullipher enjoys rise of Down Under imports
A couple of Down Under pickups have gotten off to strong starts for trainer Jeff Cullipher as he looks to determine their paths for the year ahead.
‘Bigry’ still coming up big for Bauder
Sectionline Bigry is still the big guy for owner Harry Lee Bauder. A homebred 8-year-old pacer, Sectionline Bigry has enjoyed another memorable season in 2023. He surpassed $1 million in lifetime purses with a victory in the Ohio Breeders Championship at the Delaware County Fairgrounds — Bauder’s home track — and notched his 50th career triumph with a win in an Ohio Sire Stakes final in October at Northfield Park.
Great Scot: Inglis gets first U.S. win
Scotland’s Ryan Inglis got his first driving win in North America last week at The Meadowlands, the first of what he hopes will be many on this side of the pond in the months ahead. The 23-year-old will begin trying to add to his victory total this week when he returns to the Big M for races on Thursday and Saturday.
Ohio move pays off for Widger
Sam Widger was no stranger to success in Indiana in recent years, but this season the longtime driver took to calling Ohio home when it came to racing. The change has worked out well, with Widger setting a career-high with $4.25 million in purses.
Happy for the ‘Road’ taken
John Ryan Melsheimer was not looking to buy Adamsville Road when he went to the 2020 Lexington Selected Yearling Sale. But Melsheimer’s regard for the trotter’s mother, as well as a bargain price, resulted in the horse coming home with the Ohio-based trainer. It has proved to be a fortunate outcome.
Trainer ready for second Big M visit, more than a decade after first
It’s been 13 years since Stacey McLenaghan made her first — and to this day only — training start at The Meadowlands, but she remembers it well. Not so much for the outcome, but the horse involved.
Tactical Approach set for FanDuel challenge
Two 3-year-olds have defeated older rivals in the history of the FanDuel (formerly TVG) Championships at The Meadowlands. On Saturday, one of those winners’ sons will look to duplicate the accomplishment. Three-year-old colt Tactical Approach will take on six older male foes in the FanDuel Open Trot Championship at the Big M. His sire, Tactical Landing, won the event in 2018, when another 3-year-old, Six Pack, finished second.