EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – The achievement was not met with any sort of celebration or fanfare, mainly because that isn’t trainer Mike Dini’s way – and because he keeps himself immersed in his day-to-day responsibilities.

But when Omey Island won a $7,500 claimer on Sept. 22 at Parx it was not just another win in a career that began in 1995.

That victory gave Dini personal yearly bests in both wins (43) and earnings ($1,442,859) heading into this weekend’s Monmouth-at-Meadowlands meet, where he has one horse entered on Friday and three on Saturday for the all-turf cards.

“I’m enjoying it. I just don’t like to talk about things like that,” Dini said of his career year. “When you start talking about your accomplishments that’s when you get knocked back down in this game.

“Coming into the Monmouth Park meet I felt I was going to do well. It didn’t go quite as I hoped because we ran into some rain and I had a few that got injured that I gave some time off to so they can be ready for the winter.”

The 64-year-old Dini, who has 661 career wins, has been a fixture at both the Monmouth and Meadowlands meets for the past 10 years, packing up and heading south to Tampa Bay Downs when the New Jersey Thoroughbred season ends.

When he started training in 1995 he had just one horse. That horse – Glen Savoye – provided Dini with a winner as his first and only starter that year.

These days, he oversees an active 31-horse stable that will expand significantly when several horses return from injuries or time off and when he gets a few more of the 2-year-olds he has to the races.

“I have a lot of promising 2-year-olds,” he said. “Three have already broken their maidens. I have a few more I’m looking forward to seeing start.”

On Friday, he will send out Bet on Beth in the first race at the Meadowlands. On Saturday, he has New York Fog in the first race, Yell For More in the second race and Skyloft in the featured sixth race, a $42,000 allowance at five furlongs for 3-year-olds and up.

Skyloft, a 3-year-old gelded son of Sky Mesa, comes into that on a three-race winning streak. But he has not raced since March 5 and those three wins were all on the dirt at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He had an injury and needed some time,” said Dini. “In all of the turf races he got beat it’s because he can’t go far. Then we tried him on the dirt because they don’t have a lot of turf sprints at Tampa. He’s been doing pretty good. He’s ready to come back.”

Dini, who owns one graded stakes win – Connections won the Grade 3 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine in 2007 for him – picked up two stakes wins at the Monmouth Park meet over the summer. Summer’s Comin won the Spruce Fir on May 17 and Gold Trust won the Joey P. on Aug. 14.

They were among his 13 winners at the meet.

“I just have better stock now. That’s the key,” said Dini. “When you get better stock you have a better chance at success. It’s really that simple.”