Campagnuolo wins first Billings event of 2010

April 23, 2010

The home field advantage at the Isle Casino Racing Pompano Park provided the edge for 48-year-old John Campagnuolo of Loxahatchee, Fla., as he won the opening event of the year for the C.K.G. Billings Harness Driving Championship Series for avid amateur drivers.

"I talked about it with Larry Silber, the owner and trainer of Southern Joy, before the race, and this was the best case scenario we could think of," Campagnuolo said of his pocket trip win with the 7-year-old Mr Vic mare. "We thought the race would go right around 1:59 and she has some tactical speed which is better than most of her recent lines show. It's a real thrill to win this one at home" he added, alluding to the fact he is also a member of the Florida Amateur Driving Club.

The runner-up spot in the $7,500 event went to driver Simeon Hunsdon with Ranger One.The only female driver in the race, Gro Formia, almost engineered a major upset when her attempt to front end the field just missed with the 12-year-old veteran Battleship.

"He actually hung on better than I expected him to," Formia said after she cut the mile past the three quarters in 1:28 and eventually finished third in the 1:59.1 mile. "Really, it wasn't on my mind that I was the only woman against eight male drivers. My only thought was, somebody has to cut the mile and we made some equipment changes to improve this horse tonight, so it might as well be me out front."

Peter Gerry, president of the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association, which sanctions the series, couldn't have been more upbeat about what lies ahead in 2010 even though his mount, Sturdy Falcon, finished last in the field of nine in the Pompano event.

"This was just a great start to the series and the horsepeople here were so good to us, Gerry said in his live trackside TV post race interview. "I think we returned all the horses to their connections just as we found them before this great race. All told this year we expect to have between 75 and 100 member drivers signed up. We're going to compete at between 35 and 40 venues with close to 50 total events.

"All of the drivers' commissions go to the Harness Racing Museum and Hall Of Fame at Goshen, New York so we're expecting that about $25,000 will be contributed this year," Gerry added. (Pompano Park)

The Pompano wild card race is the only Series event in the month of April. In May, there will be five contests for the members in each of the Eastern and Midwest Regions. "We'll be extremely busy and going hard for seven months right through to the end of November" Gerry said. "This 29th season is going to be a great one for the C.K.G. Billings Harness Driving Championship Series."

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