In a story by Communications Hall of Famer John Manzi, written in his capacity of publicist for the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series, he quotes Billings participant David Glasser as agreeing with the old adage, “If you think your horse is the best, send him right to the lead.”
And Glasser, a 50-year-old president of a litigation support company and a licensed driver for 36 years (we’ll explain that math in a minute), lived up to the letter of the law in his stated maxim, putting his own Celebrity Stimulus on the lead and never surrendering control in taking the $12,000 C.K.G. Billings Series Eastern Regional Final by a nose in 1:57 on Sunday night at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
Glasser obtained a matinee license for driving at age 14, and was driving in purse races at age 16. This precociousness and durability adds first irony and then support to his Billings sobriquet as “Poppa,” but he’s retained his skills over the years despite only sporadic sulky-sitting, with eight of his 32 career victories coming in 2016 – and none likely to be more important than this one.
Starting from the rail, Glasser went away swiftly with Celebrity Stimulus, a six-year-old altered son of Cantab Hall, with 2015 Amateur Driver of the Year Hannah Miller filling the two-hole from post two with Jacks To Open and Karets (post six, driver Joseph Lee) stuck outside in mid-pack. After getting the quarter in :27.4, Glasser started backing the pace down, and Miller took a shot with her horse, vacating the two-hole before the :58.2 half.
Celebrity Stimulus and Glasser increased the backstretch speed to :28.4, and Miller ducked back into the pocket with Jacks To Open, leaving Karets and Lee again outside raw to the 1:27.1 three-quarters. Through the lane, Miller came up the famed Pocono Pike, and Lee rallied the indefatigable Karets, but Celebrity Stimulus responded to Glasser’s urging to win by a nose in 1:57 over Karets, with Jacks To Open, the race favourite, settling for third.
John Butenschoen recently took over the training of Celebrity Stimulus from Homer Hochstetler after the season at Vernon Downs came to an end.
(With files from PHHA/Pocono)