BERLIN – Fans lined the racetrack Friday as Ocean Downs ended its 66th season with a full card of harness racing and a fireworks show.
The popular Standardbred racetrack completed its 48-day meet Friday, Sept. 4.
On closing night, fans were treated to a down-to-the-wire competition between the meet’s top drivers. Though Frank Milby went into Sept. 4 as the track’s leading driver, having won 70 races, during the course of the evening driver Jonathan Roberts won three races, bringing his total number of wins to 70. With a final win in the penultimate race of the card, however, Milby broke the tie and clinched his status as the track’s 2015 leading driver with 71 wins.
This marks the third year in a row the veteran Maryland driver has earned the honor at Ocean Downs. He says that while it’s nice to win the driving title, it’s not something he was focused on at the start of season.
“I just want to make money, make the trainers happy and drive correctly,” he said. “If you go into it thinking about the driving title, you’re worried about that and you can get frustrated and make bad decisions.”
Though happy with the recognition, Milby said he was just as pleased to be able to take part in a meet-and-greet session with fans before the races started Friday. He joined fellow drivers Jason Thompson and Roger Plante to sign photos for attendees and answer questions about harness racing.
“It was cool to give stuff to the kids and talk to them,” Milby said.
Frank Milby’s 71 victories during the 48-day meet at Ocean Downs earned him his straight driving title at the ocean oval.
The meet-and-greet session was one of several held throughout the summer. The racetrack also offered a number of special events, including free carriage rides around the racetrack, fireworks and a performance by a trick rider.
Clarissa Coughlin, founder of the Friends of Maryland Standardbreds group, said she was thrilled to see Ocean Downs offer added attractions for fans.
“Ocean Downs has always had a nice crowd because of its location near Ocean City,” she said. “People come to the beach to have a good time and make memories. The special events at the track are fun for kids and adults of all ages.”
She said the carriage rides, which gave people a view of the racetrack they don’t usually get, were particularly popular.
“There was always a waiting line for the carriage rides,” she said. “People seemed to really enjoy the ride around the track.”
She said activities like the carriage rides and trick rider performance were great attractions for the racetrack to offer because, like harness racing, they centered on horses and would also boost interest in the Maryland horse industry as a whole.
“Ocean Downs harness racing track, in addition to being convenient to the beach, maintains a family fun atmosphere,” she said. “Racing Under Saddle, trick riding and other special events have brought new people, and new fans to the sport. We are looking forward to our new fans returning next year with a few of their friends.”
Aside from the special events, Ocean Downs hosted four nights of live harness racing each week, highlighted by several rounds of stakes races through the Maryland Standardbred Race Fund and the Maryland Sire Stakes. More than $1.2 million in purses were awarded through the two breeding programs, according to Cheri Stambaugh, program administrator. Highlights from the stakes action included the Aug. 9 win by Freeze Out, which set a new track record of 1:55.3 for two-year-old pacing fillies, as well as the Aug. 13 dead heat (tie) between pacing colts Tom’s Typhoon and Quick Art. In addition, series sweeps were made by Frank Chick’s Helaine’s Firebird in the Maryland Sire Stakes for three-year-old pacing fillies and Richard Hans’ What I Say Goes in the Maryland Sire Stakes for two-year-old pacing colts.
Stambaugh said all in all it was a successful summer season for the stakes programs, which she expects to be even better next year with more participation.
“We are looking forward to 2016,” she said.
