Pilon gets first pari-mutuel win with upset

CAMPBELLVILLE, Ont.— Off the second longest shot on the board, Marc Andre Pilon picked up the harness racing drive on Bettor B Going (Bettors Delight) and barreled from last to first to take the $16,000 Billings Drivers Series event at Woodbine Mohawk Park on Monday night (Oct. 23). It was also the first pari-mutuel victory for Marc Andre Pilion.

Grand Poobah (driven by Charles Longo), the 2-1 favorite, fired for the lead to a :26.4 first quarter with Final Cheeserecipe (Anthony Verruso) rolling alongside. Final Cheeserecipe slid to the front into the backstretch and soon encountered first-over pressure from Mighty Mach (Nello Guglielmi) to a :56.1 half that persisted all through the final turn.

Mighty Mach got the better of Final Cheeserecipe past three-quarters in 1:24.3 and took a narrow lead into the stretch. All the way along, Pilon sat seventh with 14-1 Bettor B Going and sprung from off the pegs to the center of the track spinning for home and overhauled his rivals with a :28.1 final quarter to spurt to a three-length victory in 1:53.3. Instantaneous (Robert Ciavardini) rallied wide on the track to take second with Mighty Mach holding third from Joe Dimagio (Matt Zuccarello) in fourth.

Wilford Perrault trains Bettor B Going, a 7-year-old gelding, for owners Grant & Joanne Curnow. He paid $31.70 to win.

BETTOR B GOING REPLAY

For complete race results, click here.

by Ray Cotolo, for Billings Drivers Series