Jimmy McNeight Jr. went from as low as he could go to as high as he has ever been in the span of 10 months. The western New York product had made steady progress since embarking on a driving career in 2016. But at the beginning of this year, things just weren’t working out and, for the first time since he started, McNeight was having doubts.
Tag: Rich Fisher
John Stefanos and ‘The Coach’ reach the pinnacle in Breeders Crown
In John Stefanos’ mind, he has reached the Cooperstown of harness racing. As a travel baseball coach in Illinois for six years, Stefanos guided his Under-12 squad through a 104-team national tournament into the Sweet 16 held in Cooperstown, N.Y. As a Standardbred owner his equine namesake, Coach Stefanos, has reached the Breeders Crown final for 3-year-old male pacers at Harrah’s Hoosier Park Saturday (Oct. 28).
Dedrick “Dee” Sanders is living his dream
The Dedrick “Dee” Sanders story is a kind of feel-good narrative that people love. It’s an inspiring tale of a Mississippi product who is progressing nicely in the sulky.
Conlon listens and learns on way to winner’s circle
David Conlon got some early advice from the first trainer he worked for and has followed it religiously. It finally led to a milestone on Aug. 28 when Conlon got his first driving win with Gold Train at Delaware’s Harrington Raceway.
Clouse back doing what he loves
No one will ever say the COVID-19 pandemic was a good thing, but it did inadvertently provide Josh Clouse with a second chance at his first love. The 37-year-old Ohio native began training and driving Standardbreds after leaving college in the mid-2000s. But with he and wife Kelly preparing to start a family, financial issues dictated that Clouse get more stable employment, so he began working factory jobs.
John Ciocca Jr. looks to make his mark as a driver/trainer
John Ciocca Jr. recently went on his own as a trainer and currently has five horses in his barn. He has no helpers, no grooms; and literally does it all by himself. “It’s some long days,” the 29-year-old Ohioan said, “but I get to hang out with horses all day so it could be worse.” It’s a refreshing attitude and a necessary one for a guy who wants to make his living in harness racing. And the fact is, it actually was worse at one point.
Difference in age and experience, same goal for Alagna and Stoebe Saturday
At age 51, trainer Tony Alagna has run his own stable for 14 years, while 35-year-old Annie Stoebe opened her small operation just two years ago. Despite their difference in age and experience, the two are both pursuing the same goal Saturday, a win in the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old female trotters at The Meadowlands. Alagna enters the fray with elimination winner Heart On Fire and Mambacita, while Stoebe goes with Instagram Model, a Hambo Day winner last year in the Jim Doherty Memorial.
Tritton hopes to make more history in Pace
Lauren Tritton is at it again. After making history as the first female driver to not only race in, but win, the Battle of Lake Erie at MGM Northfield Park in June, on Saturday she will become the first woman to drive in a Meadowlands Pace final. Lauren reached the final of the Meadowlands’ signature race by driving Its A Me Mario, trained by her husband Shane, to a third-place finish behind Cannibal and Voukefalas in the first of last week’s two eliminations.
Volume Eight set to start on Hambo trail
When discussing his 3-year-old colt trotter Volume Eight, it’s hard to tell if Noel Daley is sitting at a poker table or digging in at home plate. Either way, the trainer has been working with whatever comes his way. “I’m just playing the cards I’m dealt,” Daley said as he prepares for Volume Eight’s first 2023 start Saturday (July 1) in a division of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial Stakes at The Meadowlands.
Harness racing ‘takes the cake’ for Katelyn Gerow
If it weren’t for a partial knee tear and a turbulent experience in the hospital — each incident totally unrelated to the other — the sport of harness racing may not have been blessed with the presence of Katelyn Gerow. But fate has brought a bright, energetic young trainer into the sport, and her enthusiasm can be catching just from talking with the lifelong Maine resident. Gerow experienced her first training win on April 15 at Maine’s First Tracks Cumberland when Drew Campbell drove Third Power to victory in Katelyn’s third career start.