Woodstock, VA — After amateur driver Eugene Robinson kicked off the fall season for the United States Harness Driver’s Club last week by sweeping the early daily double at Shenandoah Downs, the USHDC returned on Saturday (Sept. 28) with three winners crowned in their pair of races.
Yes, there was a dead-heat in the opener as Baltimore Beauty, driven by Matt Zuccarello, and the Kiwi bred Bungalow Bill N, handled by Philip Kozak, could not be separated at a the wire. Actor Hanover, driven by Adrian Wisher Jr., was also in the photo but finished third, a neck back.
Actor Hanover cut the panels, :28, :57.1 and 1:27.2, and even repelled a serious bid from KK’s Dream Girl before a miscue ended the threat with Baltimore Beauty sticking a nose in front with a late surging Bungalow Bill N surging to even terms on the wire in 1:59.1.
For the 4-year-old mare Baltimore Beauty, it was her third win of the season and pushed her seasonal bankroll to $32,609. The American Ideal mare is trained by Scott Warnick for Deborah Warnick.
Bungalow Bill N, a gelded son of Bettor’s Delight now 13, earned his second win of the semester with his earnings vaulting to $21,241. He’s banked $404,319 lifetime, $312,716 here in the USA after arriving in 2017.
Baltimore Beauty paid $8.20 to win while Bungalow Bill N paid $4.20 in the “heater.”
Zuccarello, by the way, is one win short of a milestone 50th career driving win. Kozak, who rarely gets in the bike these days, is two wins away from 50.
Hey Siri and Stacey McLenaghan won the second USHDC race. This 7-year-old daughter of Rockin Image had an easy time wiring together panels of :29.1, :59.1 and 1:28.2 before sealing the issue with a :28.4 finale, stopping the timer in 1:57.1. Boondoggle was second for Adrian Wisher Jr. while Pacific Stride rallied for third with Dylan Fagan handling the lines.
The win produced a daily double sweep for trainer Scott Warnick and owner Deborah Warnick as Hey Siri nudged her scorecard to 2-2-3 in 24 starts and sent her lifetime bankroll to $73,905 with this win — her 10th career-wise.
In a post race interview, McLenaghan was humble saying, “All I did was give her a chance to win and she was the one that made me look good today!”
It was Stacey’s 13th win of the year and 55th lifetime. The winner paid $8.00 as second choice in the betting.
The USHDC is one of several amateur driving clubs throughout the USA with members donating their earnings in their races for charitable distribution; to date, those donations over $325,000 since the USHDC’s inception.