July 5, 2009
JIM HARDY NOTCHES 2,000 CAREER DRIVING
WINS AT ROCKINGHAM PARK ON SUNDAY
SALEM, NH--Jim Hardy and Slim Down have won an
awful lot of races together, but none was sweeter than the sixth on Sunday at
Rockingham Park on because it gave Hardy his 2,000th career victory as a
driver.
"This isn't just another win for me. It's special,"
said Hardy, who also trains the seven-year-old gelding and owns him in
partnership with Eugene Hickey and Barry Caruso. "This horse is special. I
bought him as a yearling and he's kind of my pet. He's my baby. He's a good
horse and a good boy and I'm glad I got number two thousand with him. He
made it a lot of fun."
While the victory was a milestone for Hardy, when
Slim Down trotted the mile in 1:57.4 on a fast track it was also number 36
in his 105 lifetime starts. Many of those celebrations came at Rockingham,
where Slim Down has set some records of his own and been one of the top trotters
on the grounds over the last few years.
On July 9, 2006, Slim Down set a world record of
1:48.1 here for the unorthodox distance of 15/16th of a mile with Hardy in the
bike. One week later, on July 16, 2006, Hardy and Slim Down set the track and
New England record of 1:55.2 for four-year-old geldings and that mark still
stands. Slim Down raced in his personal best time of 1:54.3 at Rockingham two
years ago.
"When you have a horse like him, it's a pleasure to
come to the barn every morning," said Hardy, who began driving in 1984 and won
his first race in 1986 with Presumably Swift at the old Foxboro Raceway. "It's
still a blast. You have got to love this business to be in it, and I do love
it."
Hardy put an exclamation point on his career
milestone day by coming back and capturing the featured $9,000 trot with 11-1
longshot Earlivic for lifetime win number 2,0001 and upsetting 2-5 favorite
Whosgoinwhosstayin in the process.
Live racing resumes on Wednesday with an 11-race
card and a $9,000 featured event for pacing fillies and mares. Post time is 1:05
PM.
-30-