And down the stretch they come

Selling horses is big business for the Ocala Breeders Sale but Monday’s business was horses racing.

Michel Northsea

Delightful Mary with Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan makes its way to the track for the third race of the day. The three year old filly won the race with a purse of $100,000. The win brings her earnings to $370,377.

A crowd of 5,000 plus gathered in the stands and along the fence to cheer their favorite horse and jockey to the finish line during the annual Day of Champions races.

Larry and Charlotte England of Morriston were in the crowd. They come over every year and they would like to come more often.

“I’d like to see this run all the time,” he said about the race.

For Ed Kelly of Silver Springs Shores the races were bringing back memories.

He grew up in New York, about two blocks from the Saratoga race track.

“I used to watch the morning races and hang out around the barn,” he said.

His mother rented out spare bedrooms in their 12-bedroom home to trainers and jockeys and he remembers hearing their conversations after a day at the track. He used to go fishing with Pete Anderson, a jockey turned trainer.

“I was pleased when I saw he had a horse in the Derby, a couple years back,” Kelly said.

He too suggests there should be a season here for horse racing – when the snowbirds are here.

Standing near at the fence line Diane Soltis and Lois Van Ingwegen, neighbors from Rainbow Springs, agree with Kelly.

Tampa is two hours away from; us that isn’t close to us, Van Ingwegen said.

Soltis wanted to bet on Monday but wagering wasn’t allowed.

In the third race Van Ingwegen picked Snow Trial as the winner.

“I’m from New York and with all the snow we’ve had there I should pick Snow Trial,” she said. Snow Trial ended the race third, behind Be My Candy and stakes winner Delightful Mary in the Filly Division of the mile-and-sixteenth $100,000 race.

Delightful Mary started out slow but rallied in the last 40 yards under Jockey Shaun Bridgmohan and to the delight of the crowd.

Under Jose Alvarez, Reprized Halo won the fourth race of the day. The Florida bred colt of Bill and Debra Backlinie beat out second place finisher Extended Family and third place finisher Strike Oil.

Prizes in the $100,000 championship stakes were divided between the top five finishers. The winner took $60,000, second place money was $20,000, third place finisher was $10,000 with four and fifth place finishers taking $7,000 and $3,000 respectively.

The first two races of the day were six furlongs each with the winning horse earning $50,000. The second place winner $10,000 and the third place winner $5,000. Fourth and fifth places were $3,500 and $1,500 respectively.

In the three year old fillies race One Star, under Elvis Trujillo, took first. Take Me to Zuber finished second and Wild Penny was third.

Megalith was the winner of the colt and gelding division, under jockey Rajiv Maragh. Second place finisher was Legacy Wildcat under Shaun Bridgmohan and third place was Dual Exhauzt, under Elvis Trujillo.

Seeing the horses race Monday was fine by Joe Crowley of On Top of the World. He used to work in the Miami/ Fort Lauderdale area. After work he headed to the track.

“I bet the tips but would never win,” he said.