Fonner Park: Johnson trains 1,500th winner

No Fortune quietly gave trainer Marv Johnson his 1,500th career victory last Sunday.

Johnson, a seven-time winner of the training title at Fonner Park, had no idea he had accomplished the feat when he was notified by phone on Wednesday morning. Johnson began his training career in 1976 and has amassed a total, through last Sunday, of 1,501 wins from 9,663 starters for earnings of over $8.5 million. Early in his career he trained Ogataul, who won eight stakes. He has won numerous training titles in Nebraska and now breeds many of his own runners.

* Apprentice Dylan Williams scored his first stakes victory in Saturday's $25,600 Ogataul Stakes aboard My Halo. The win capped off a riding triple for the 16-year-old apprentice and also completed a one-two-three training sweep for trainer David Anderson.

My Halo ($23.20) rallied from last heading up the backstretch, skimmed the rail turning for home, and rallied inside Track Hero, who was ridden by Dylan's father, R.D. Williams, to win by 1 1/2 lengths. The younger Williams continued his hot streak on Sunday with his first career four-bagger.

* Longtime racing official Rol Shaal died at age 76 on Monday afternoon at Gordon Memorial Hospital in his hometown of Gordon, Neb., after having been in declining health the past two years. Shaal was inducted to the Nebraska Racing Hall of Fame last year after serving as an official at Nebraska racetracks since 1970.

A memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at the St. Leo Catholic Church in Gordon at 10 a.m.

Shaal is survived by three children: John, Edith, and Tom.