In honor of St. Patrick’s Day, Freehold Raceway will be the scene of a special race featuring drivers of Irish heritage on March 15.
The winner of the race, which will be sponsored by Mary and Peter Grandich of Freehold, will receive a blanket and a trophy. The presentation will be made by Irish-American boxing great Gerry Cooney.
“As a harness owner and racing fan, I’m honored to be sponsoring the St. Paddy Pace,” said Peter Grandich. “My wife, Mary, was born and raised in Ireland, and we were married there, so I have a deep connection to the Irish people and culture. I’m looking forward to this ‘green’ day at the races.”
The drivers scheduled to participate in the race are Jack Baggitt Jr., George Brennan, Corey Callahan, John Sheehan, John McDermott, plus a trio of native Irish drivers — “Irish” Joe Hanney, Anthony Haughan and Jonathan Dunne.
Callahan, recipient of the 2014 Rising Star Award, currently leads all North American drivers in both wins and money earnings. Brennan is a winner of more than 8,000 races lifetime and one of the sport’s leading drivers for many years. Baggitt, Sheehan and McDermott are all longtime Freehold mainstays. The trio of Hanney, Dunne and Haughan is a reunion celebrating many years of driving and training together throughout Ireland, England, Canada and the United States. Dunne, who currently resides in Ireland, holds the driving title in his country, as well as in the United Kingdom. Haughan is a top driver in Canada, closing in on the 1,000th win of his career. This will be the first time for Haughan and Dunne participating over the Freehold oval.
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