DiBenedetto wins four at Mighty M, closing in on 5,000

Kyle DiBenedetto, a two-time driving champion at Monticello Raceway, reined four winners on the nine-race card at the Mighty M on Thursday afternoon and now needs just 19 more to reach a career milestone of 5,000 driving victories.

DiBenedetto began the afternoon winning both ends of the early double. He scored a 2:02.4 victory behind Vernon Beachy's Willie’s Chica ($4.80), a 3-year-old daughter of Whalen Willie, and came back the next race to rein R Little E ($4.60) to a wire-to-wire, 2:03 trotting victory. The 3-year-old Credit Winner gelding is owned by John Dwyer and Laurie Whittemore.

DiBenedetto then won the fourth race with Bill Mintz’s Rueba Palooza ($9.90) in a time of 2:00.4 and he capped his day with a 2:03.2 trotting victory behind Margaret Olmstead’s Bowl Lane ($5.60).

The 41-year-old reinsman began his career at Monticello Raceway at 18 and over the years he has won two driving titles here. In 1997 his 304 winners topped the local leaderboard and again the following year (1998) DiBenedetto’s 242 driving victories captured the dash-win crown. (Monticello)

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