Four Nigthts Of Ocean Downs Live Meet Remain

Only four days remain in the 60th Anniversary live-racing summer meet at Ocean Downs after the ten-race card, which ran Sunday night, August 17th.

Popular local driver Ray Robinson, Jr. Sunday solidified his third-place driver rankings in the forty-day meet with a fourth-race win as pilot for six year-old gelding Jim Bob Walton (1:56.3, $8.80). It was a special night as “Shorty” was celebrating his 39th birthday logging his 29th win of the current meet and his 986th career victory. Robinson was the Ocean Downs’ three-time leading driver 1999 through 2001 and last year won 53 races, finishing second to Frank Milby who earned the 2007 title with 67 winners.

This year’s leading driver, Eric Ledford posted his 57th win of the summer at the ocean, completing a driving-triple Sunday with a final-race win behind eight year-old gelding Ldees Paulie ($5.40, 1:59.0). Ledford, the 2002 Hambletonian Final-winner with Chip Chip Hooray, began his summer at Ocean Downs June 28th with a pair of wins. “I didn’t know what to expect. I’d never been down here before so most of the people here, it’s the first time I’ve ever raced for them,” the current New Jersey resident originally from the mid-west said. “Getting associated with everybody down here, I didn’t really know what to expect.”

Ledford has been busy racing at Ocean Downs and commuting back and forth to New Jersey a couple of times each week. He has only been on the Ocean City beach once or twice, but he has enjoyed his experience racing at the half-mile track. “It’s a good surface. You can’t beat that and the people down here are really nice.” Ledford has produced his 57 wins in only 26 nights of racing during the current forty-day summer meet, which concludes Sunday, August 24th. “The Windy City Express” as track announcer George Anthony calls him, had a five-win night July 16th, three driving-grand slams (July 2, July 5 and August 2) and three driving-triples (July 3, August 10th and August 17th. “I’ve been very fortunate to drive a lot of good horses,” the 36 year-old driver said.

Excellent stakes races remain during the final four nights of live racing. The Maryland Standardbred Fund Races will be contested at Ocean Downs during the final week of the meet. Top three year-old trotters and pacers in the state are featured Wednesday, August 20th while the state’s top two year-olds take to the track Thursday, August 21st. In addition, the final leg of the prestigious “Hal Belote Memorial” trot series is on the card Wednesday, August 20th. The “Alan Myer Memorial” final leg is set for Thursday, August 21st and the final of the four-leg “Deer Run Golf Club” late closer series is the feature Saturday, August 23rd.

Exciting family promotions and giveaways also help wrapup the track’s 60th Anniversary live meet. For more information, call the track (410) 641-0600 or go on-line www.oceandowns.com.

Jim Whittemore, Publicity Director