Bouchard wins 5 at Monti

Stephane Bouchard won five races on the Thursday card at Monticello Raceway, giving him a quick lift in defense of his 2006 Monticello driving crown. Last year Bouchard’s 410 driving victories topped all other reinsmen at Monticello Raceway and his purse earnings of $2,747,822 is an all-time record at the Catskill Mountains oval. And his 618 seasonal victories ranked him fifth in North America in races won during the 2006 campaign.

But after taking a well deserved vacation, visiting family and friends in Quebec after the holiday season, Bouchard missed the first week of racing action at the Mighty M. Once back in action he started slowly but in recent days he’s put the pedal to the metal and is moving up on the local leaderboard.

Bouchard’s 5-bagger, his second of the fledgling season here, began in the third race on the Thursday card when he reined Rick Krupunich’s, BP’s Silent Weapon ($6.50) to a 2:03:1 victory. He then won the fifth race behind Bernie Ban’s, B Fifty Two ($5.40) in 2:04 and the seventh with Dave Schneider’s, Mannart Sound Wave (3.10) in 2:01:3. He scored a 2:01:3 victory with Four Starzzzz Stable’s, Four Starz Stone ($3.80) in the ninth and capped the afternoon with a victory behind David Byer’s, Skipper Jove ($3.80) in 1:59:4 in the 11th race.

At day's end Bouchard’s total of 21driving victories here moved him into third place on the local leaderboard behind Larry Stalbaum’s 37 and Jimmy Devaux’s 26.

In other action of note on Thursdays card, 19 year old Jordan “the Kid” Stratton reined his fifth winner this year when he subbed for Billy Parker, Jr. and made his own racing luck by sitting a pocket trip behind the pace-setter and then rallying to a head victory with Catherine and Mark Bouthillier’s, D A’s Bad Boy turning back Wise Guy (Larry Stalbaum) in 2:01. Dismissed by the betting public, the pacer returned a $40.20 win mutuel.

After driving in many qualifying races and a few Billings Amateur events early last season the youngster later received his full drivers license and finished the year with 30 wins; 24 seconds and 21 thirds in 186 starts for a very commendable .271 UDR. (Monticello Raceway press release)

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