The inimitable Yogi Berra is known to have said “it ain’t over til it’s over,” but regardless of what the Yankee’s Hall of Famer stated, put a circle around the names of driver Bruce Aldrich Jr. and trainer Bob Lounsbury as they are well on the way of winning their individual titles even though the curtain hasn’t come down on Monticello Raceway’s 2013 season.
Aldrich and Lounsbury have been lethal together this year and both have been enjoying their finest seasons of their careers.
With the last racing program of the year still underway today (Dec. 31) at the Mighty M, Aldrich already has four wins in the bag and he will cop his fourth driving title at Monticello although his final stats could increase before the day is over. And with a late charge, Lounsbury, who has harnessed two more winners thus far today, overtook Danny Gill and will cop his first training title at season’s end.
Aldrich started the day third in wins (639) on the North American leaderboard only six behind Dave Palone’s 645, and after recording four driving victories in the first six races on the Tuesday afternoon (Dec. 31) card, Aldrich has a chance, albeit outside, of catching Palone or even topping him if he stays hot in the last six races. However, no one will overtake Ronnie Wrenn Jr., whose 714 wins are the best on the continent.
On the other hand, Lounsbury started the final day of racing with 204 winners from his barn, which is some eight more than Gill’s output. The overwhelming majority of Lounsbury’s winners were driven by Aldrich.
Final Mighty M driving and training stats will be available on Thursday, Jan. 2.
Monticello Raceway will open the 2014 season with a race card on Wednesday, New Year’s Day followed by live programs on Thursday, Jan. 2 and Friday, Jan. 3 during the first week of the month.
After that, racing throughout the remainder of January will be on a Monday through Thursday basis except that on Monday, January 20 -- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day -- the raceway will be dark.
All post times during the month of January will be at 12:25 p.m.
On Jan. 21, the Mighty M will again pay tribute to Dr. King’s memory with its 14th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Pace, a race that will feature the talents of African-American drivers.
Simulcast wagering on both harness and thoroughbreds will continue seven days a week throughout the month. And of course, there’s also gaming and entertainment daily at Monticello Casino and Raceway.
(With files from Monticello Raceway)