Robert Krivelin, last year’s Amateur Driver of the Year for his third such title, won the 2015 “championship event” for amateur drivers on Sunday at Harrah’s Philadelphia, guiding Current Crisis to a drawing-away victory in 2:31.3 over 1-1/4 miles to take the $25,000 Delvin Miller Gold Cup in the season-long C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series.

Krivelin and Current Crisis were second to Jacks To Open and this season’s leading amateur sulkysitter, Hannah Miller, at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono 11 days ago, and that’s how the crowd sent them off on the tote, with Jacks To Open 1-5 from the rail and Current Crisis the 4-1 second choice from post seven.

But an unexpected thing happened just past the quarter-pole, approaching the second turn of the added-distance event – Jacks To Open, sitting second to Whatnblazes (Bob Davis) just past the :30 quarter, looked to get a bit jammed up in the hole and made a break in stride, falling back to last, and never recovering adequately.

After that unexpected turn, Whatnblazes got to the half in 1:01.1, soon to be joined by an onrushing Magglio, guided by 2013 Amateur Driver of the Year Steve Oldford, with Current Crisis and Krivelin on their backs. Magglio cleared nearing the 1:30.4 three-quarters in front of the Philly paddock, but as Krivelin reaccounted afterwards, “I wasn’t that concerned, because I knew this horse could go on a long way. He learned his lessons from [legendary Maine horsemen] Donnie Richards.”

And the altered son of Current Cast proved Krivelin correct, slowly but surely grinding within striking distance of Magglio by the 2:00.2 mile call, engaging him around the turn, and soon into the stretch going by en route to victory, one and three-quarter lengths clear of a resurgent Whatnblazes, with Magglio another length and a half back in third. (Jacks To Open made it back to sixth, six lengths off.)

Krivelin’s Hero Stables owns the winner, and Krivelin, also the trainer, noted one equipment change that may have been key: “After racing last week at Pocono, I decided to put aluminum [shoes] on him all around, and they helped today.” So did having the three-time amateur champion, who added his title last year to previous wins in 2001 and 2012. Krivelin posted the 183rd win of a 20-year career, with 2015 -- which also included a $118 win behind Blintz at Pocono in July 19 -- becoming his second-winningest year as he notched his 16th seasonal victory with the Gold Cup win.

The script of “owner/amateur driver getting his horse cover, then keeping him rallying after losing that cover” also applied in the $15,000 Delvin Miller Silver Cup Championship, as Kings Cavalier and driver David Offenberg (who races under the name Allstar Stables LLC) proved strong in the stretch to post a clocking of 2:30.3 in an event also staged at 1-1/4 miles on a cold Philadelphia day, and with a stretch headwind.

Kings Cavalier, an altered son of Yankee Glide trained by Eric Abbatiello, drafted behind Casanova Lindy (2004-05 Amateur award-winner Dein Spriggs), then kept going forward when that one ducked in down the backstretch. On the far turn, Dreamsteeler (1997 champion Joe Faraldo) vacated the pocket he had sat behind Celebrity Stimulus (David Glasser), his fellow 2-1 choice, behind fractions of :30, 1:00.3, 1:30.1, and 1:59.3, but Kings Cavalier, undaunted, continued gaining three-wide, going on to win by four lengths over Casanova Lindy, who rallied in the passing lane to take second over Celebrity Stimulus by a half-length.

Afterwards, Offenberg noted, “In his last race at Pocono, a horse made a break, and I had to go three-wide before the half in the back of the pack, and had no chance from there. Here I could follow the horse and driver [Casanova Lindy and Spriggs] I was most concerned with, and today was our day and we won.” It was the 49th career win for Offenberg, who began his Billings participation in 1998.

FINISHING LINES – In addition to the Amateur Drivers of the Year noted above, one other competed at Harrah’s Philadelphia on Sunday – 2010 Amateur award-winner Joe Bongiorno, now successfully pursuing a professional career and fresh off a dead-heat for first with Make Or Miss, who tied Dog Gone Lucky at the end of the $489,400 Valley Victory Final in a dead-heat world record-equalling 1:54, and a 12th race winner here with Allstar Legend.

(C.K.G. Billings Amateur Driving Series)