Double Dream N led from start to finish en route to winning the weekly pacing feature for fillies and mares at Monticello Raceway on Monday afternoon, with Billy Parker Jr. reining the foreign-bred daughter of Dream Away to a 1:59.4 triumph.
After they started from the pole position, Parker gunned Double Dream N her to the lead and they remained unchallenged until the field reached the backstretch the second time around when Billy Dobson moved Rootintootinfilly out to challenge. But third on the outside was as close as Dobson’s mare got to the front end. Still with a length lead at the top of the stretch Double Dream N and Parker braced for La Diavla and driver Greg Merton who were enjoying a two-hole covered trip to that point.
In the lane Merton sent La Diavla to the passing lane and though they gained with every stride they ran out of racetrack as Parker kept urging his mare without the use of a whip. At the finish Double Dream N was a head victor over La Diavla with Drinking Games rallying to be third for Mike Micallef.
Double Dream N, who was named aged pacing mare of the year last season at the Mighty M, came to Parker in mid-season last year after she became unmanageable at the Meadowlands and the veteran horseman worked his magic. Not only did he get the mare's confidence but settled her disposition and got her back to her winning ways.
The victory was the third in five starts with Parker since she’s been back in his barn in mid-December after racing in Canada during the fall of last season.
The mare is owned by Redmak Enterprises LLC of Ossining, N.Y.
It was one of three victories on the card for Parker who raised his career total to 9,516, good for ninth all-time.
Also on the card, newcomer Rick Magee, nephew of Hall of Fame driver Dave Magee, scored his first driving victory of the year with My Way Mack when they copped the pacing co-feature in a time of 2:01.
In late December, Magee moved in from Wisconsin with 10 head and a very impressive UDR. The leading dash-winning driver last year at Prairie Meadows, he is among the talented young turks who will be a great addition to the Mighty M racing programs during the 2009 campaign. (Monticello)