Shorty now one win short of 1,000

Some 22 years after first receiving his driving license, Ray "Shorty" Robinson is just one win shy of reaching a milestone 1,000 wins in his career. Robinson recorded win number 999 on Wednesday night at Ocean Downs.

In the first race of the evening, Robinson was in the sulky behind DVC Fine Tuned ($24.60), a 3-year-old filly. The horse trained by Doris Lineweaver was a longshot to win at 11-1.

DVC Fine Tuned took an early commanding lead out of the gate and maintained it until the homestretch, when challengers began to make moves. The winner hit the wire in 2:02.2, withstanding the late push from the other horses.

After the race an astonished Robinson said, "Coming down the homestretch, I kind of looked back and saw that we still had some space and I thought to myself, 'maybe we can pull this off!'"

The win leaves Robinson one victory short of achieving a feat that he claims he never thought he would do, but something in the making that he has enjoyed so much.

"When I first began racing, I never thought this would happen, not in my wildest dreams."

When asked if he was anxious about his next couple of races that might give him win number 1,000 he replied, "No, I'm not at all nervous. I'm having so much fun out there. My family might be more excited about the win than I am."

Robinson's cool demeanor must be a result of his longevity at the Ocean Oval. Around 85 percent of his wins have come on this track, including the first win he grabbed, in his first ever race back in August of 1987 at the age of 18. Now at the mature age of 39, Robinson will return to the track on Thursday night, July 9, attempting to race into the history books. (Ocean Downs)

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