Michigan rivalry in NY

It wasn’t too long ago that Eric Goodell and Larry Stalbaum would go head to head for driving championships at various racetracks in Michigan and now that rivalry seems to be on its way to renewal at Monticello Raceway.

Nearly two years ago Stalbaum moved his stable to the Mighty M and though he was originally met with a cold shoulder by the locals his talent did the speaking for him and he is now a driver of choice by many of the local trainers. His 348 wins here last season ranked him second behind Stephane Bouchard’s 410 but thus far this fledgling season Stalbaum has currently taken charge in races won.

Enter Goodell.

In late December a new face emerged on the Monticello scene when Goodell and his blue and white silks were visible on the racetrack. Goodell’s move back east was done without much fanfare but it didn’t take long for his driving prowess to be noticed.

Initially Goodell, who has 2,687 career victories, didn’t get too much of an opportunity to show his stuff but recently his name can be found numerous times on Monticello’s daily race program.

On Monday, Jan. 8, Stalbaum (3286 career victories) reined two winners on the Mighty M card. Goodell also won two races.

Although the 2007 campaign is only five days old, Stalbaum and Goodell are running one-two on the local leaderboard; Stalbaum with 13 wins and Goodell with seven.

However, unlike Stalbaum who moved in with a big stable, all Goodell brought with him was one horse and his colors, gloves and whip. But now, some of the tracks top trainers are beginning to use Goodell’s service and he’s responding with good results.

Can it be that the Stalbaum-Goodell rivalry is on the verge of resuming? It appears that it will but only time will tell. However, for both Stalbaum and Goodell, racing at Monticello Raceway is not their only option. Both talented drivers are also competing with decent success at Yonkers Raceway during the evenings.

And thanks to the video gaming terminals both reinsmen are definitely competing for bigger purses than they did back in their home state. (Monticello)

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