Mr Thinker just keeps rolling along. On Tuesday afternoon at Monticello Raceway, the veteran rambled to yet another victory when Zeke Parker guided him to an easy 1:57:3 win – the pacer’s eighth consecutive score
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With his victory Mr Thinker now needs just two more to equal the track record of 10-wins-in-a-row set by Hogies Cam and driver Jordan Stratton during the 2008 campaign.
Not only was it Mr Thinker's eighth straight score, but it was his 10th of the season in just 13 starts. And add a second and third-place finish to go along with all those victories.
After starting from the two-hole Zeke put Mr Thinker on the front end and the old timer just seemed to toy with the field. Parker allowed the others to get close at the three quarters and after they did he stalled for a moment then urged the old timer on and Mr Thinker responded and paced away to a 2-1/2 length triumph.
Behind Enemy Lines and Jordan Stratton chased Mr Thinker home for the second time in their last three meetings. Winsmith Kirby took home the show dough with Jimmy Devaux aboard.
“It amazes me how Brian (owner/trainer O’Neill) keeps him in top form week after week. He’s not the soundest horse in the world but he has a lot of class and he loves what he’s doing, and he loves being on the lead,” said Parker.
With just a glance at the official program one will detect nothing but the number one across the page after the start of each of the past six races which, as all handicappers know, means the horse likes to race on the front-end from start to finish. And though in a few of his consecutive victories Parker tucked him in a pocket for a short time he didn’t linger there for when the field settled Zeke moved Mr Thinker to the front where the old guy likes to be.
Mr Thinker began this season racing in $4,000 claimers and after his 2:00:1 victory on March 31 owner/trainer Brian O’Neill moved him up to the $5,000 claiming ranks After winning once with a $5,000 tag O’Neill moved him up to $7,500 claiming company which didn’t matter to Mr Thinker because he won four times in that class.
In his last three outings Mr Thinker has defeated $10,000 claimers. His fastest victory was a 1:56 clocking. The career winner of over $275,000 took a 1:52:1 speed record at age three at the now defunct Rosecroft Raceway. That season the Maryland-bred gelding won 12 of 13 races and he has been victorious 44 times in 147 career outings.
(Monticello Raceway)