It would be hard to be more Monticello Raceway than Greg Merton. He jogged his first horse at six and was in the business full time at the historic Catskills oval by the time he was 16.
On Wednesday, Feb. 18, the 52-year-old horseman reached another milestone in his long career, his 6,000th driving win, aboard Lanas Desire for trainer Art Green at his home track. The reinsman, needing two wins entering the card to hit the target, first won with Ackles Hanover ($8.48) in 2:00.1 for Green in the fifth race, then came back in the sixth and piloted Lanas Desire ($13.02) to victory in 1:57.3 for the milestone moment. Following the win, Merton was greeted in the winner’s circle by his fellow horsemen and friends.
Merton and his siblings, Michael, Thomas and Veronica, were also born into the industry, and his father Robert was the track superintendent at Monticello for decades.
The Monticello native sports some impressive numbers in his 37-year driving career. Merton's first drive was in 1989, and he recorded three wins in seven starts in his debut year. The driver has eclipsed the seasonal million-dollar mark in earnings 16 times in his stellar career while racing primarily at Monticello and Plainridge Park. He produced a remarkable record at Plainridge on Aug. 22, 2016 when he won nine of the card's 11 races and finished second in the other two.
Merton recorded his best earnings total in 2017 when he piled up $2,934,479. His best year for wins was in 2005 with 352 tallies, and he has amassed total lifetime earnings of $31,076,327 in more than 31,500 starts. Merton is a two-time leading dash-winning driver at Monticello and has won two titles at Plainridge. He took his 5,000th win five years ago at Monticello.
(Monticello Raceway)