Whitney, Pennacchio win Billings splits

Two more races in the C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series went into the books on Monday at Monticello Raceway with Todd “The Downeaster” Whitney and “Joltin’ Joe” Pennacchio each reining a winner in their respective divisions.

Whitney scored behind Woody Hoblitzell’s Tennis Champ from post seven as they turned back Final Legacy and driver Peter “The President” Gerry in a 2:01.4 clocking. Perfect Gerry--no relation to Peter--finished third for George “The Brooklyn Cowboy” Casale.

Pennacchio went wire to wire with Alan Schwartz’s Iroquouinianmagic as they trotted a :29.4 final stanza to defeat Woody Hoblitzell’s Sand Whisper and driver Todd Whitney in a time of 2:04.1. American Charmer finished third for Gerry “The Catskill Cat” Fielding.

Though the C.K.G. Billings Series is usually all about the drivers on Monday the day belonged to owner Woody Hoblitzell, a tennis pro in Destin, Fla., who currently owns 11 horses in the Bruce Aldrich Stable.

Hoblitzell is originally from Boston, Mass., and though he’s been a tennis pro for 35 years he is about as avid a racing fan as any Bostonian is about his Red Sox.

“I just broke my 0 for 49 streak when Tennis Champ won,” Hoblitzell told Whitney’s lady Lori Graffam in the winner's circle after his horse's victory. He then went on to explain that he comes up from Florida every three or four months to spend four or five days with his trainer Bruce Aldrich, mainly to watch his horses race, and the victory by Tennis Champ marked the first time since 2003 any of his horses won when he was here.

“I have been here 49 times over the years when my horses raced without getting my picture taken,” Hoblitzell explained. “Today that streak was broken.”

However, the more Hoblitzell talked about Tennis Champ, an altered half-brother to Credit Winner, the more a great story came to light.

“Last year I was looking through the programs and noticed a horse by the name of Tennis Champ--right up my alley, right? He was racing in claimers in the Midwest so I told Bruce (Aldrich Jr.) to see if he could buy him because of his name and my profession.

“Bruce eventually got him for $17,000 and we brought him back to New York and raced him at Yonkers where Stephane Bouchard drove him to a wire-to-wire, 2:00.3 victory in what turned out to be our first and only start with him last year.

“After that race at Yonkers, Tennis Champ had a terrible case of colic and we thought we were going to lose him, but thankfully we didn’t thanks to (driver) Mike Forte who stayed with and comforted him that night at Yonkers.

“So the next morning we hurriedly (sent) him to Cornell University where they operated on him and they took out a huge length of his intestines and though it cost $8,000 they told me he still wasn’t out of the woods. Of course I wanted to at least save his life and though I’m not a wealthy man I asked them how much more would it cost to save him and would he ever race again. To which they answered another $3,500 will probably do it.

“But to me it was a no-brainer. Of course I told them to do it even though the word filtered back to me that Tennis Champ would probably never race again. Hey, they were wrong; not only is he racing again but I can’t tell you how much his win today is worth to me. I am just thrilled to the bone, I couldn’t be happier.”

The Billings contest at Monticello was the fifth start this season for Tennis Champ, who only had a pair of fifth-place finishes in his previous races.

And though Hoblitzell was zero for 49 in his previous trips to the Mighty M he was nearly two-for-two on Monday when his other trotter Sand Whisper finished a close second in the other Billings division.

“What a wonderful day,” Hoblitzell said exhaustedly. “And I’m happy for Todd (Whitney, the winning driver) and especially happy for Bruce (Aldrich, his trainer). He kept the faith too.” (Monticello)

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