Nfld has home-team edge

Northfield Park hosts the first leg of the Cal Expo-Northfield Pro-Am Drivers Challenge Friday and Saturday, and at first glance, it appears the home team has a slight advantage.

The unique series, which pits two professional and two amateur drivers from each track against each other in two races each night, has the amateur drivers assigned the inside post positions, with each of the four--Cal Expo’s Alan Kirschenbaum and David Siegel, and Northfield’s Gregg Keidel and Bob Troyer--guaranteed each of the inside post positions. The pros--Brett Miller and Aaron Merriman for Northfield; Rick Kuebler and Rocky Stidham for the Californians--each get one of the four outside post positions during the four race, first leg of the contest.

In Friday’s 7^th race trot, the first of the competition, Merriman drew 5-2 favorite Mom’s Prize, a horse he regularly drives, and Miller is the 7-2 second choice with The Ladys A Looker, despite having post eight. Keidel, driving Country Dion from post 4 is the 9-2 third choice, while Kuebler carries the visitor’s hopes with 6-1 morning line 4^th choice Call Me Your Baby.

In the 8^th race, Miller is 5-2 with Sweetie Peetie, while Merriman is 9-2 with Sheza Hoosier. Stidham has drawn 7-2 second choice Lady Truthful, who leaves from post 6. The only amateur below 10-1 on the morning line is Kirshcenbaum, the acclaimed writer and producer of TV sitcoms including Coach and Yes Dear. He has 19 career driving wins. Miller has 4,350 career victories, while Keubler has won 4,250 races.

Saturday, races 7 and 8 again feature the interstate competition. In the 7^th race pace, California amateur Siegel is the 5-2 morning line choice with Tato Tato, while Merriman and Miller have the second and third choices, in #7 Cadillacconnection (7-2, Miller) and #5 Sky Strikes (9-2, Merriman).

The Ohio leg of the contest wraps up with a group of trotters and Miller has the 5-2 favorite in Hi Noon Lady. Keubler is 7-2 with Crimson Hanover, and Keidel is 9-2 from post 2 with Ratehike.

The races will be simulcast t o California, through Cal-Expo, and free past performances will be available by logging on to www.trackmaster.com/cgi-bin/axprodlist.cgi/nfl?tfp.

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