Earlier this season Jimmy Taggart, Jr. was shunning publicity on his accomplishments noting – in his opinion - that writing about a driver or a horse’s good fortune was a jinx
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That was earlier this year when Taggart decided to be a regular at Monticello Raceway after spending many seasons at Pocono Downs. Reluctantly, after winning four races on a card earlier this year, he really didn’t appreciate the press release that stated his accomplishments, citing that it would jinx him.
Now, on June 29th not even midway through the Monticello Raceway season, the Monticello-native has already reined 129 winners at the track including the five he scored on the 11-race card of Wednesday, June 29.
For the record, Taggart is a wonderful individual and a complete gentleman, who prefers to have his actions speak for themselves. But how does one not rally behind his accomplishments, and especially his five driving victories today?
Taggart started the afternoon with a 2:01.2 trotting victory with Ned Urbanski’s Nans Prayer in the first race and then beginning in the fourth race he strung together three consecutive triumphs. He won the fourth behind Mary and Manuel Fajardo and Helen Citra’s trotter Strong Bow in a 2:01 clocking, and captured the fifth with R.L Dirlam, Maple Ridge Racing Stable and M. V. Martin's sophomore pacer Tizo Mojo in 2:00. Win number four for Taggart came in the following sixth race when he guided Mary Beth Beauregard’s Invincible Hall home first in a 1:59 clocking. He then capped his day winning the 11th and final race with Denmar Stables' Farewell Sky in 2:00.
His 129 winners at Monticello currently rank him third on the local leaderboard behind Zeke Parker’s 193 and Bruce Aldrich, Jr.’s 161. Thus far this season the 42-year-old reinsman has recorded 143 winners and already has earned some $250,000 more than he did all last season. A product of the amateur ranks at the Mighty M in the late 1980’s when he turned professional during the 1988 season, Taggart now has 2,434 driving victories to his credit.
(Monticello Raceway)