Jimmy Marohn Jr., Austin Siegelman, and Mark Herschberger dominated the 10-race card at Freehold Raceway on Friday, Sept. 13. Unwilling to share the winner’s circle with any other drivers, they earned five, three, and two wins, respectively.
Siegelman took the only stakes race on the card: leg one of the NJSS Standardbred Development Fund for three-year-old filly pacers. An early break from the 1-9 favourite Miki In Luv in the first turn left the rest of the race wide open. Siegelman cashed in on the opportunity and piloted 16-1 shot Im A Believer to victory for Mark Ford and owner Robert Hirsch. That win was just the third lifetime in 35 starts for the daughter of Huntsville.
However, the hottest hands of the day were those of Marohn Jr’s. He took control of the latter half of the card, winning the last four races of the day in addition to his win in the fourth race. One of his victories included going from sixth to first to win at 8-1 odds with Brian and Judy Magie’s homebred Hold My Tiara in race seven (pictured above), despite being parked for nearly the back half of the mile.
Marohn’s other four wins were of the wire-to-wire fashion, though his competition never made it easy on him. His backers were holding their breath in race four as competition closed in on Marohn and Paul Stratton trainee, Sprout in the stretch for an exciting finish where five horses blanketed across the track to finish within three-quarters of a length within Marohn, who ultimately held on for the win.
This brings Marohn’s win percentage at Freehold this year to a remarkable 26 per cent and is his third day scoring four or more wins since the new meet began less than a month ago on Aug. 23.
Racing at Freehold resumes tomorrow (Sept. 14) and the program includes an early non-betting race at 12:15 p.m. for NJSS action, with more stakes race action on the 12-race betting card to follow that begins at 12:30 p.m. There is a $458.06 carryover for the 50-cent Pick-5 in Races 5-9.
(Freehold)