On a soggy Wednesday afternoon (Oct. 16), Jim Taggart Jr. had the hot hand at Monticello Raceway, capturing nearly half the card.
Taggart wasted no time in getting on the board, scoring a two-length victory in the first race with Needles And Pins in 1:57.3 ($2.90) for trainer Anthony Regina, giving the Village Jove mare her seventh win of the year. Next up in race six was Coco Hall in 2:01.1 ($3.50), owned by Brenda Messenger and Scott Woogen for trainer Gary Messenger. The five-year-old Amigo Hall mare has won four of her last six outings.
Keystone Honor gave Taggart his third win of the card, winning by five lengths in 1:57.2 and returning $10.60. In the last race, Angelic Speed win in 2:04.1 ($2.20) and gave Gary Messenger a training double on the card.
The four wins on the card helped Taggart boost his seasonal win tally to 198 wins for the year, gaining ground on leading dash winner Michael Merton with 207.
(with files from Monticello Raceway)