The temperature was hovering around 90 degrees on Wednesday afternoon, June 2 at Monticello Raceway but the temperature wasn’t the only thing that was hot
. So was Mr Thinker.
Mr Thinker, a 10-year-old Glowing Tribute stallion scored his seventh consecutive victory as the warm sunrays beamed down on the pacer and his driver Zeke Parker.
On the horizon is the Monticello Raceway track record of nine-wins-in-a row, initially set in 1983 by Don Torpid and Walter Case, Jr. and then equaled in 2008 by Hogies Cam with Jordan Stratton at the controls.
Unlike many of the pacers previous victories, Parker and Mr Thinker floated away from the starting gate and when the field settled Zeke took the veteran pacer to the front and they cruised along unchallenged until late in the mile. And though Mr Thinker poured on a :28:4 last quarter that effort was needed to keep Civilized Hanover and driver Jordan Stratton at bay to score in the 1:57 clocked mile.
“He thinks he can beat the world right now,” Parker said of Mr Thinker, who began the win skein in $5,000 claimers and now has been racing for a $10,000 tag in his last two starts. “He usually likes to grab the lead immediately but we did put him on the front end and that’s where the old guy seems to race the best.”
The pacer, owned and trained by Brian O’Neill, now has nine wins and a second and third place finish in 12 seasonal starts and is among the winningest horses in North America at this time.
(Monticello Raceway)