Dave Yarock reined Biggerthebetter to a gate-to-wire triumph in a time of 2:01.1 on Thursday afternoon in the third leg of the of the North American Amateur Drivers Associations Spring Series Trot at Monticello Raceway
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For Yarock and Biggerthebetter it was a day of seasonal firsts. Biggerthebetter made his first start for the new connections and for Yarock it was his first drive of the year. After sitting out for three months with a broken hand Yarock made his seasonal debut a winning one and Biggerthebetter, a recent claim, debuted as a winner in his new barn.
On April 4, trainer Jimmy Doherty, Jr. and his patron, Yarock, thought they saw a bargain at the Mighty M and plunked down $7,500 for Biggerthebetter after the trotter had won two races in-a-row. And with the mile the trotter turned in on Thursday afternoon it appears that they certainly did see a bargain.
When the wings of the starting gate folded as the NAADA Trot began, Alan Schwartz gunned for the lead from post three with Paula B. Simultaneously; Yarock had the same idea as he set sails with Biggerthebetter also seeking the front-end.
When the two trotters approached the quarter pole Schwartz, who had pylon position with Paula B, grabbed leather and allowed Yarock and his trotter take command in a :29:1 clocked first stanza. But after that it was a game of catch me if you can as Yarock kept the pedal to the metal and Biggerthebetter rambled by the halfway point in: 59:2 and they had a comfortable lead on Paula B at the three quarters 1:30:1. From there it was all Yarock as he guided his big trotter to an eight-length triumph over Tremendous Hit who rallied by Paula B to gain second place as Paula B faded and finished third.
“I was trying to get the lead but Alan (Schwartz with Paula B) parked me a little which I thought might take some sting out of my horse,” Yarock said in the winner’s circle after he received his trophy. “But when we cleared Biggerthebetter was just that and he trotted to an easy win for me. It seems like we might have made a good claim here.”
Sent off at odds of 9-2, Biggerthebetter paid $11.40 for win.
With three legs of the two-track NAADA Trotting Series already in the books each leg was won by a different driver. Schwarz won the Monticello first leg on March 31 with Paula B and Dave Offenberg won the Yonkers second leg on April 7 with Double Strength.
On April 21 the series moves back to Yonkers Raceway and after the final preliminary leg at Monticello Raceway on April 28 the top point earners in the series will get a chance to compete in the $12,000 Final at Yonkers on May 5.
(Monticello Raceway)