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Post by scojer on Dec 15, 2006 21:23:53 GMT -5
Stopped at the track for a couple of races tonight,and a little birdie told me that GREG GRISMORE is packing up and leaving Northfield Park.I was told he would be racing at YONKERS starting Saturday.I took it they were talking about him being there tomorrow,as he is not listed to drive at Northfield.
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Post by trackrat on Dec 15, 2006 21:36:10 GMT -5
Grismore is scheduled to drive at Yonkers on both Saturday and Sunday.
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Post by the believer on Dec 16, 2006 20:55:22 GMT -5
I just checked the results for tonight.... Sat DEC 16 , so far Greg Grismore hasn't hit the board (up to race 4).
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Post by bobcat on Dec 17, 2006 16:43:02 GMT -5
He's driving for Dennis Laterza this weekend. Laterza says he will use again if the results are good. He actually had a decent horse in Longshot Linda Saturday. I had heard about this before it hit the pages of the harness eye. The slots at Yonkers have encouraged a lot of drivers to head there, and I'm sure more will follow Greg. Problem right now is there are more drivers than horses. Freehold is having trouble filling fields already. I wish Greg luck.
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Post by cliff on Dec 17, 2006 17:36:01 GMT -5
I just looked over last night's results and the entries for the next few days. Stephane Bouchard has set up camp there and would appear to be top choice among the trainers. A couple of Meadowlands regulars, Daniel Dube and Yannick Gingras, are also listed in upcoming cards. The rest of the driving colony is pretty average. If Greg decides to stick it out, I think he'll do just fine.
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Post by bobcat on Dec 18, 2006 19:05:05 GMT -5
Yes, Cliff, Bouchard is the leading driver there right now and has won the driving crown a few times. Problem is Greg is competing for drives with the Monticello and Freehold regulars who already have established ties with the trainers there (since most of the horses racing at Yonkers are Monticello and Freehold horses moving to where the bigger purses are). He is also competing against invaders who beat him there like Pat Berry and Eric Goodell. It will take him some time to get established and get the number of drives he needs to earn a good living. Hopefully he can pick up some afternoon drives at Monticello, Freehold or Chester to make a few extra bucks like the rest do.
We here in NJ are already feeling the shortage of horses because the NY and PA tracks with purses fed by slots are siphoning them away. Even the Meadowlands will eventually feel the pinch as Yonkers purses continue to rise. I hope the defeat of the slots initiative in Ohio doesn't have this kind of effect on Northfield, a track I love to play.
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Post by cliff on Dec 19, 2006 0:14:54 GMT -5
That's what I meant when I said, "if he sticks it out". It has to be tough going from being a top dog, and getting multiple choices of horses nearly every race, to scrambling just to get any drives at all. In the short term it will hurt both the ego and the pocketbook. In the long term it may pay off handsomely. Time will tell. We can't blame the man for trying to better himself. With no relief in sight from the low purse structure in Ohio, we can expect a continuing exodus of trainers and drivers to surrounding states.  |
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Post by bobcat on Dec 21, 2006 16:34:37 GMT -5
Greg just drove the winner in the 12th at Monticello, the favorite in the race, to a dominant performance. I'm glad he was able to get some drives there afternoons. Should speed up his getting the foot in the door process.
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