Over the years, the Florida Amateur Driving Club membership has donated over $175,000 to worthy charitable and goodwill organizations benefiting horses, horsemen, horsewomen and children of all ages.
Yes, there have been many big nights for the FADC, but none have been bigger than what is coming up this Saturday night (January 21).
This week’s recipient will be the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame, located right in the cradle of where harness racing was ‘foaled,’ Goshen, New York.
Not only will the FADC make its usual bountiful contribution to the Museum and Hall of Fame, each driver that donates an additional $100 will become eligible to race in the next three legs — the triple crown — of the Hall of Fame amateur series.
Those three events will be held in Goshen, New York during Grand Circuit week, at the Meadowlands Racetrack during Hambletonian week, and in Delaware, Ohio during Little Brown Jug week.
Noted amateur driver Steve Oldford, a Museum trustee and vice president, related, “We are absolutely thrilled to have the Museum and Hall of Fame as the recipient of this week’s generous donation by the Florida Amateur Driving Club and our other members, who are making this event even better with their individual contributions.
“It is amazing that our club has played such a positive role in the arena of how horses help people of all ages — children of all ages, from two to 92 — if you know what I mean.
“It’s a small part of what we do and what harness racing can do for our communities.”
The Florida Amateur Driving Club conducts all of its races at Pompano Park and is in the midst of a hotly contested driver challenge to determine the leading amateur driver of the season.
After the first 15 weeks of competition covering 32 races, amateur driver Dein Spriggs, the author of 424 career wins, leads the point parade (169), while Jamie Marra is currently second (149). Mitchell ‘Sky’ Walker, Leon Cable and Tony Dinges round out the top five, while Joe Pennacchio, Fred Cohen, Dennis Whittemore, Shane Arsenault and Steve Oldford rank six through 10 among the 29 amateur drivers that have competed thus far.
The Pompano Park program on Saturday night will feature a trio of races for the amateur drivers, and Oldford, himself, has a pair of trotters competing that have compiled combined lifetime earnings of over $1 million —The Budster, with $644,298 in career bounty, and Celtic Merchant, who has banked $367,762.
Celtic Merchant, now 14 years of age, has visited the winner’s circle on 47 occasions during his lengthy career, while The Budster, a ‘youthful’ 12-year-old, has won 43 times.
“They may be advanced in years,” says Oldford, “but they are still very much young at heart.”
Competing in the same event as The Budster is the 11-year-old gelding A Crown For Lindy, who recently won for the 50th time during his illustrious career.
Owned by Dein Spriggs, A Crown For Lindy is relatively lightly raced, with ‘only’ 196 career starts. His lifetime bankroll just edged over the $400,000 at the end of the 2016 season.
Post time for the Saturday night program at Pompano Park is 7:20 p.m., with the amateurs competing in Race 1, 4 and 6.
(Pompano Park)