Monticello, NY --- With his victory in the 13-horse Billings contest at Colonial Downs on Sunday afternoon (October 9), Dein “the Jupiter Gem” Spriggs has taken over the point lead in the midwest region and now leads runner-up “Trader Bud” Hatfield by a comfortable margin of eight points with only three more preliminary legs remaining until the regional final.

Despite the fact that both Spriggs and Hatfield have each driven winners in 11 Billings races this season, Spriggs has benefited by winning races with larger fields, thus earning more total points. The triumph at Colonial Downs was worth 18 points and was the biggest one race point total any driver has ever earned in the 22 years of Billings competition.

Though Hatfield was leading Spriggs by three points prior to the race in Kent, Virginia on Sunday, Spriggs’ victory has practically sealed his fate and it will take something short of a miracle for Hatfield to regain command since the regional point totals are based on each driver’s best 12 finishes.

Winning the regional point total allows a driver to earn a “bye” in the regional final and proceed directly to the $35,000 Gold Cup Championship Final at The Meadowlands on November 25.

Spriggs victory in the one and one-quarter mile contest came behind Racy Star G in a time of 2:30.4, which turned out to be just two-fifths of a second off the world record at that distance. But perhaps more incredible was the way the veteran trotter did it.

Off stride at the start and at the back of the pack in 12th position until the half-mile marker, Racy Star G began to pick up horses and was seventh at the three-quarters and fourth at the top of the long stretch. Spriggs had his trotter in high gear and Racy Star G overtook the pace-setter CR Mr Bean in mid-stretch and went on to a four length triumph. CR Mr Bean held on for second place for driver Steve “Cannonball” Markoff and Addie finished third for “Westerville Dave” Ehrenberg.

Another race of note on that afternoon card saw “Congenial Gene” Miller guide “Wisconsin Dave” Carter’s pacer, Torpedo Joe, to a 1:54:4 victory which is certainly one of the fastest miles ever driven by an amateur driver, if not the fastest ever.