Devilish Donnie isn’t mixing it up with the big boys like he was a couple of years ago, but he’s still making his share of winner’s circle appearances for Cliff Shurman and Rocky Stidham with five victories on the season.
 
Shurman has been a fan of the trotters and pacers for 50 years, and it was in 2002 that he decided to take the plunge into ownership with his first harness performer.
 
“I was introduced to harness racing at Santa Anita in 1959, when I was 19, by my longtime friend Marty Galluccio and his dad Larry,” Shurman related.  “They had a few claiming horses with Louie Rapone, and I continued to enjoy the harness racing at Hollywood Park thorough the 1970s, when I was able to see horses like Albatross, Falcon Seelster and Nihilator.”
 
It was during his trips to Sacramento to see relatives that Cliff would visit Cal Expo, and in 1995 he moved here and became a regular patron.
 
“As time passed, I became acquainted with many of the owners, drivers and trainers.  I admired Rocky Stidham for his many abilities as an individual with high ethical standards who had taken time to encourage me to became an active participant, not just a spectator who watched races and hopes the horse I bet on crosses the line first.”
 
Some seven years ago that Shurman made the move from fan to owner, and his first horse with Stidham was a pacer named Peterford N.
 
“Rocky, myself and Cindy Tupper had a mare named Red Star Tripper, who was claimed for us,” Cliff said.  “We ended up claiming him back, and this got Cindy looking for others for us to claim.”
 
This led to dropping the claim slip in on Devilish Donnie a few years ago, with the result being plenty of trips to the winner’s circle, including 14 visits during his 2008 campaign.  Among those tallies was a 1:52.2 career standard at a time when he was one of the top-ranked performers on the grounds