For more than four decades, "Diamond Jim" Marshall III has been a driving mainstay at Freehold Raceway. But he'll bring the curtain down on his driving career this Saturday (Dec. 19) after more than 33,000 drives.
His finale will come in the 11th race, driving Noble Finesse for trainer Paul Fusco. Post time for the race is scheduled for about 3:50 p.m. (EST).
Marshall began his driving career in the late 1970s, and has spent the majority of his career at Freehold. In his career, he's won 3,818 races with earnings of more than $25 million. Many of his drives have come for his wife Donna, a trainer.
Marshall's best year in the sulky came in 2004 when he won 225 races and earned more than $1.6 million. So far this year, he's won 54 races from 428 drives, with earnings of $325,584. All but one of his drives this year have come at Freehold, where he's currently in fourth place in the driver standings.
When not driving at Freehold, Marshall serves as the assistant starter at The Meadowlands. Next year, he'll begin serving as a judge at Pocono Downs.
His son, Jim Marshall IV, has also driven at Freehold this meet. On Oct. 10, the father/son tandem finished first and second in the fourth race, when Marshall IV won on Good Day Mate, and Marshall III finished second on Lets Foal Around.
The first race at Freehold on Saturday is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (EST).
(Freehold Raceway)