18-year-old gets first win in unconventional way

As the second harness racing division of the Mid-Atlantic Amateur Drivers Club took the track on Tuesday (March 28) at Rosecroft Raceway, 18-year-old Wyatt Long didn’t even have a drive.

Long’s drive in the first $8,000 division, Power Of Tell, broke a head check and did not finish, so his 13th drive of the meet never made it to the finish line. His luck was about to change.

As the horses for the 11th race were scoring down, Do Ya Think (Ponder) became as rank as you can be from a pulling perspective. Driver Scott Woogen after getting him slowed down, became unseated as he went to turn him back toward the starting gate. Medical personnel rushed to aid Woogen, who seemed to get tangled within the lines and fortunately Do Ya Think never attempted to run off or fall to the ground.

With Woogen being cared for, Do Ya Think needed a driver. That’s where Long, like many young drivers, jumped in, seeking all the experience he could get, and it turned out to be something like a legendary fish story from Tuesday afternoon.

Never Easy Z Tam, never had it easy on the lead, facing constant pressure from a parked out Wisers Deluxe and Catscratchfever who were in the outer flow form the get go and never saw the pylons, Long bided his time behind the leader and pocket sitting $555,745 winner Classic Pro.

As the parked-out challengers faded, Long tipped the seven-year-old gelding to the outside and just nailed the leader by a slim neck at the finish line for his first lifetime pari-mutuel win in 1:55. Scott Warnick trains the winner for owner Daniel Chansky. Off at odds of 9-1, Do Ya Think paid $20.60 to win.

WYATT LONG / DO YA THINK REPLAY

Long is part of an amazing family of horsemen dating back over 50 years in the Mid-Atlantic Region.

In the Tuesday night feature, Somegirlsomewherea (Somebeachsomewhere) held off her chief rival Beyond Words N for a second straight week, winning the $16,500 Mares Handicap in 1:52.3. It was one of two wins for Jonathan Ahle who scored for Owner Robert Cacamese and Trainer Steve LeBlanc.

SOMEGIRLSOMEWHEREA REPLAY

Jonathan Roberts and Justin Walters had driving doubles, and David Rearic won the first division of the MAADC with 15-year-old Hi SIr who secured his 68th career win.

For complete race results, click here.

by Peter Medhurst, for Rosecroft Raceway