Tony Hall collected career win 6,000 Tuesday at The Meadows when he piloted Blooming Sunflower to victory in the ninth race. Hall reached the milestone with three Tuesday wins, all for trainer Cory Kreiser.
Hall, 41, grew up in Carlisle, Ohio near Lebanon Raceway, where he began his career and won several driving titles. He moved from Lebanon to Northfield Park and relocated to The Meadows in 2006. Hall indicated that early on, his professional goals were modest.
“I thought I might have 5,000 wins in my career, so I’m pretty excited about getting 6,000,” he said. “It’s a decent number. From here, I’ll take it one day at a time.”
Hall has dabbled with training and considers that an option for the future.
“I’m hoping to drive for about five more years, then do something else. I’ve thought about training -- that’s always a possibility -- but it would have to be the right circumstances.”
Among his most memorable drives, Hall cites his back-to-back Ohio Sires Stake championships (2018-2019) with the filly pacer Queen Of The Pride and his 2009 Courageous Lady triumph with Sand E Fiftyfive.
Latest Desire circled the field three wide through the final turn to pull off a 23-1 shocker in the $12,500 second leg of a Holiday Series for $20,000 claiming horse and gelding pacers at The Meadows. The series finale is set for Dec. 30.
Latest Desire was in the cover flow for most of the backside, but when driver Chris Shaw swung him even wider for the drive, his move through the slop was impressive. He scored in 1:54.3, with Sir Jack second and Big Dutch third.
Andy Rickert trains the winner, a nine-year-old Real Desire-Latest Design gelding who now boasts $615,836 in career earnings, and owns with Nichole Stahl and Harold Bud Coughlin.
Tuesday’s card also featured the second leg of a Holiday Series for $10,000 claiming horse and gelding pacers, with Sullivan and Innocent Victim taking the splits.
Live racing at The Meadows continues Wednesday, when the program features a $101,806.41 carryover in the final-race Super Hi-5. That amount was carried over from Tuesday, when the Super Hi-5 could not be offered after a scratch reduced the field below the minimum number of wagering interests required. First post for Wednesday’s 13-race card is 1:05 PM.
(The Meadows)
Congrats Tony.
Congrats Tony.