Tag: Ken Weingartner

Mark Herschberger began working with horses at an early age, but it’s only been in the past several years that the Illinois native — and nephew of trainer Erv Miller and driver Andy Miller — started pursuing his own everyday career in harness racing.

So Rock N’ Roll has been a stakes-winner in Maine and Massachusetts during his career, and now the 4-year-old pacer will kick off his 2024 campaign with a visit to The Meadowlands. Bred by Les Leighton and owned by Leighton Property, So Rock N’ Roll has hit the board in 32 of 37 career races, winning 11 and earning $255,531.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.