Monticello winner has lifestyle of the witch and famous

Woody Hoblitzell’s Witch And Famous has been a consistent breadwinner throughout his career. Last year the trotter won seven races and over $14,000 in purses and has a career bankroll in excess of $120,000. This year again the 7-year-old Corleone gelding is off  to another fruitful season.

On Wednesday, Feb. 25, at Monticello Raceway with Brent Holland at the controls, Witch And Famous upset favored Getthemoney to win the weekly winners-over trotting feature in a very respectable 1:59.3, especially considering he started from post position seven.

When Getthemoney and Bruce Aldrich Jr. fired out to the lead from post four Holland followed Aldrich’s move and settled in behind the pacesetter as Getthemoney showed the way. As the field approached the halfway point Getthemoney rebuffed a challenge from co-favorite Lively Moment as Holland stayed put and watched the action around him.

Getthemoney then trotted away to open lengths as he passed the three quarters and had a two-length lead as he rounded into the final turn. But slowly Witch And famous began to close the gap.

In the homestretch Holland angled his trotter to the passing lane and Witch And Famous dug in when Holland jiggled the lines and pushed on the horse's rump and the trotter responded and went on to score an upset victory, his second in five seasonal starts. Lively Moment finished third for Kyle DiBenedetto.

Sent off at odds of over 6-1 Hoblitzell’s pride and joy returned a $15 win mutuel.

Holland also won the first race on the Wednesday card with Rock C. Vinci’s trotter, Delay Of Game, in 2:02 and the 13^th race with Frank Cuccio and Nickie Lynch’s pacer Hurricane Mike in 2:00.1 The talented teamster has already won 24 races here in fewer than 80 starts.

Holland, another of the midwesterners who has relocated on the East Coast,  is no stranger to the winner's circle. With his three wins Wednesday the 37-year-old driver now has 3,782 career victories. (Monticello)

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