Post by gtapp on Oct 21, 2010 10:43:38 GMT -5
Here is an article from today's local paper on Charlino
I see they are racing 2 and 3 year old's on Sat. I have a hard time handicapping them since they are so unpredictable. Am I missing an opportunity?
How do you feel about handicapping the 2 and 3 year olds?
Charlino piling up wins since taking reins full-time:
Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010, 7:27 AM
D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer
Dan Charlino rang up his 2,000th career driving win at Northfield Park this month.
Dan Charlino is flexing his muscles as one of America’s top reinsmen, thanks to a great year at Northfield Park.
The horseman from Cannonsburg, Pa., has smoothly made the transition from standardbred trainer-driver to a full-time driver, and couldn’t be happier. Charlino, whose victory totals have been on the fast track, rang up his 2,000th career driving win at Northfield Park this month.
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“I’d always had a stable of horses [to train],” Charlino, 47, said. “The stable hadn’t been doing that well about a year and a half ago, so I gave up training and started driving horses for other trainers at Northfield a n d T h e Meadows [in Washington, Pa.]. The wins started piling up, especially at Northfield.”
Charlino is a rare horseman whose family isn’t in the industry. He has been driving harness horses since he was 25, and had about 1,600 wins before focusing on driving. “This year alone, I’ve got more than 400 wins,” he said. “It’s been an incredible season for me.”
But not perfect.
Charlino has become a top hand at Northfield, where he is much in demand for his driving skills. Trainers at The Meadows have been slow to get on board. It’s not a puzzle for Charlino.
“They’ve got about 10 drivers there who have been among the top names at the tracks where they’ve competed,” he said. “Guys like Brian Sears, David Miller and David Palone, who are all exceptional drivers.”
Charlino is joining their ranks. He is ranked eighth among North American drivers this week with 445 wins — 384 at Northfield —as he bids for his first career driving title. It’s a big move for a horseman who cut his teeth on western Canada’s bull ring circuits, racing in Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta. He enjoyed the racing action there, but some of the area’s appeal had to do with the nearby world-class downhill skiing.
“I love to ski and to play golf,” Charlino said. “Racing on the 5⁄8- mile tracks in western Canada was culture shock, but it makes you a better driver. After that experience, I thought I could be a top driver at other tracks if I had the right horses.”
Charlino’s biggest thrill this season was to make his debut in The Little Brown Jug and The Jugette at the Delaware Fairgrounds last month. Although his horses weren’t of winning caliber, he said it was an amazing experience to race against the best in the country.
Champs on parade: Northfield Park is sending out Ohio’s county fair stars Saturday. The eight $15,000 races are for leading county fair point winners in the 2- and 3-year-old trotting and pacing events for colts and fillies.
Northfield’s Keith Gisser rated the top county fair performers this year. Among the pacers, Gisser picked 2-year-old colt Manny Shuffle, freshman filly Emerald Flash, 3-year-old colt Lonesome Cruiser and sophomore filly CB Sammie Suit. Among the trotters, the nod went to Crown Time Jesster and Future Night, who tied in the 2-year-old colt standings. Other trotting leaders heading into Saturday’s races are 2-year-old filly Rose Run Melanie, sophomore filly Sunny Victory and 3-year-old colt Tough Touch.
I see they are racing 2 and 3 year old's on Sat. I have a hard time handicapping them since they are so unpredictable. Am I missing an opportunity?
How do you feel about handicapping the 2 and 3 year olds?
Charlino piling up wins since taking reins full-time:
Published: Thursday, October 21, 2010, 7:27 AM
D'Arcy Egan, The Plain Dealer
Dan Charlino rang up his 2,000th career driving win at Northfield Park this month.
Dan Charlino is flexing his muscles as one of America’s top reinsmen, thanks to a great year at Northfield Park.
The horseman from Cannonsburg, Pa., has smoothly made the transition from standardbred trainer-driver to a full-time driver, and couldn’t be happier. Charlino, whose victory totals have been on the fast track, rang up his 2,000th career driving win at Northfield Park this month.
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0 Comments
“I’d always had a stable of horses [to train],” Charlino, 47, said. “The stable hadn’t been doing that well about a year and a half ago, so I gave up training and started driving horses for other trainers at Northfield a n d T h e Meadows [in Washington, Pa.]. The wins started piling up, especially at Northfield.”
Charlino is a rare horseman whose family isn’t in the industry. He has been driving harness horses since he was 25, and had about 1,600 wins before focusing on driving. “This year alone, I’ve got more than 400 wins,” he said. “It’s been an incredible season for me.”
But not perfect.
Charlino has become a top hand at Northfield, where he is much in demand for his driving skills. Trainers at The Meadows have been slow to get on board. It’s not a puzzle for Charlino.
“They’ve got about 10 drivers there who have been among the top names at the tracks where they’ve competed,” he said. “Guys like Brian Sears, David Miller and David Palone, who are all exceptional drivers.”
Charlino is joining their ranks. He is ranked eighth among North American drivers this week with 445 wins — 384 at Northfield —as he bids for his first career driving title. It’s a big move for a horseman who cut his teeth on western Canada’s bull ring circuits, racing in Calgary and Edmonton in Alberta. He enjoyed the racing action there, but some of the area’s appeal had to do with the nearby world-class downhill skiing.
“I love to ski and to play golf,” Charlino said. “Racing on the 5⁄8- mile tracks in western Canada was culture shock, but it makes you a better driver. After that experience, I thought I could be a top driver at other tracks if I had the right horses.”
Charlino’s biggest thrill this season was to make his debut in The Little Brown Jug and The Jugette at the Delaware Fairgrounds last month. Although his horses weren’t of winning caliber, he said it was an amazing experience to race against the best in the country.
Champs on parade: Northfield Park is sending out Ohio’s county fair stars Saturday. The eight $15,000 races are for leading county fair point winners in the 2- and 3-year-old trotting and pacing events for colts and fillies.
Northfield’s Keith Gisser rated the top county fair performers this year. Among the pacers, Gisser picked 2-year-old colt Manny Shuffle, freshman filly Emerald Flash, 3-year-old colt Lonesome Cruiser and sophomore filly CB Sammie Suit. Among the trotters, the nod went to Crown Time Jesster and Future Night, who tied in the 2-year-old colt standings. Other trotting leaders heading into Saturday’s races are 2-year-old filly Rose Run Melanie, sophomore filly Sunny Victory and 3-year-old colt Tough Touch.