Once again three races for amateur drivers dotted the card at Monticello Raceway on Thursday with two events contested in the North American Amateur Drivers Association Fall Trotting Series and one in the Catskill Amateur Drivers Club Pacing Series.
Bob Krivelin, Alan Schwartz and Monica Banca were victorious in their respective splits. Krivelin and Schwartz each won a NAADA trot while Banca’s victory came in a CADC pacing even.
With rain threatening throughout the afternoon Krivelin was the first to reach the winners circle when he guided Permanent Joy to a come-from-behind victory over Tony Verruso’s Flirting Duezy in a 1:59.3 clocking over a racetrack rated fast.
When the field rounded the second turn in that contest Krivelin moved Permanent Joy to the outside and flushed out Verruso’s trotter for cover as Dave Yarock showed the way with Mr Ridgetaker. At the head of the lane Yarock’s charge still had command but yielded as Permanent Joy finished strong and rallied to a 1-1/2 length victory over Flirting Duezy. Jennifer Lappe took home the show dough with Fox Valley Steffen.
“I moved (Permanent Joy) early and we had cover until I wheeled him three deep on the final turn and when I did he trotted by the leaders and was home free,” Krivelin said of his 9-year-old Trot For Joy gelding.
Dismissed by the bettors and sent off at odds of over 7-1 Permanent Joy, owned and trained by Krivelin, paid $16.80. For Krivelin it marked his 210th career driving victory.
Schwartz’s triumph with The Fighter came as a result of patience, both before and during the race.
Hard to control prior to going behind the starting gate but once there The Fighter acts almost normal. When the gate sprung Schwartz settled in the two hole behind Hannah Miller’s Hidden Identity and sat patiently behind her as she led him all the way to the top of the stretch where he found room in the passing lane and rallied to a nose victory over a hard charging Brandos Muscle Man ,driven by Monica Banca. Hidden Identity held on for third.
“I got lucky in that Hannah (Miller) was strong on the lead all the way to the stretch. And at that point I sent The Fighter down the passing lane and we won by the slimmest of margins. But a win is a win ,” Schwartz said smiling.
Owned by Ed and James Hall and trained by Danny Gill The Fighter returned a $10.20 win mutuel. For Schwartz it marked his 12th seasonal driving victory and the 587th of his amateur driving career.
Although denied victory in the NAADA trot Monica Banca wouldn’t be rebuffed in the CADC pace when she gunned Fox Valley Leo to the lead and made every pole a winning one en route to a 1:57.2 triumph Second place went to Artistic Cruiser driven by Hannah Miller which made ‘all-lady’ Exacta. Third place went to Bob Hechkoff’s Italian Rebel.
“Once the gate closed he really wanted to go and I had a firm hold on him all the way to the half,” Banca said of Fox Valley Leo.. “After that I eased up on the lines and he paced on to an easy three length victory “
Owned and trained by Rick Dane, Fox Valley Leo scored his 7th seasonal triumph. For the Norwegian native it marked her sixth driving victory in just 12 seasonal starts and 20th since she began driving here in 2013.
Amateur Day at the races began last Thursday at Monticello Raceway and is slated to continue weekly through November.
(NAADA/CADC)