The Sept. 19 Preferred Handicap pace at Freehold Raceway featured a perfect clash of names. Springsteen was competing for the first time at Freehold, in Bruce Springsteen’s hometown. His fiercest competition was Imarocnrollegend, which the human Springsteen certainly is.
Fittingly, the two horses hit the wire together, with Imarocnrollegend winning by a head, according to a press release.
Leaving from post three, Joe Bongiorno put Imarocnrollegend right on the early lead, while George Brennan was forced to take back with Springsteen from post eight.
Brennan didn’t sit for long, however, and rushed Springsteen up from last to first going up the backstretch the first time.
Around the final turn, Springsteen maintained a clear advantage, while Bongiorno sat patiently with Imarocnrollegend in the pocket.
Heading into the stretch, Springsteen began to tire, after going the third quarter in a sharp 27.3.
Bongiorno’s horse began to make up ground on the inside, while Brennan was all out on Springsteen. In the end, Imarocnrollegend got the nod, stopping the clock in 1:53.2.
This marks the second week that Joe and Jenn Bongiorno won the Preferred pace, having scored with Hot Deuce last week. Jenn co-owns the horse with Robert Weinstein and Blair Corbeil.
That win was one of four for Joe on the Sept. 19 card. He won race 1 on Albert a’Scootin, for trainer John Bavosi, race 2 with Brandon Mongiello’s Power Dreaming, and the 8th race on Its Just Too Much, for Allie Reynolds.
Earlier in the day, Rockin the Gates scored a 26/1 upset in the New Jersey Sire Stakes – Standardbred Development Fund Final for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.
Rockin the Gates sat in the pocket early off leader Rock N Teen, then stormed on in the stretch to get up by a length. He went the mile in 1:54.4, for his first win of the year. Pat Berry was in the bike, for trainer Steve LeBlanc, who co-owns with Glenn Dyke and Doug Johnson, according to the press release.
Live harness racing resumes at Freehold Raceway on Sept. 25, starting at 12:30 p.m.