Gerald W. "Gerry" Sarama, one of the most prolific harness racing drivers to ever come out of Western New York and a man that helped define what a catch-driver was, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026 at the age of 83.
Sarama got started in the business in 1963 at the age of 21 after serving his country for four years in the Marines. His father Walter and brother Dan were racing horses and when he was discharged, he started working as a groom for them.
He didn’t drive his first race until three years later and his first win was with a horse named Double Trouble, who would springboard Sarama into the local limelight after stringing together five wins in a row. Sarama got noticed for his driving work in an era when catch-driving was a new idea, and owners wanted him driving their horses.
The first horse to give Sarama national recognition was an Invitational pacer named Armbro Harvey, a horse he drove all over the northeast in 1969, competing against the likes of Overcall and Rum Customer. The exposure Sarama got there afforded him the chance to make more connections and gain more drives which pushed his career on a fast track.
Sarama had a breakout year in 1974 when he posted 166 wins, 117 seconds and 86 thirds and finished as the 10th best driver in North America. Those stats were also record-breaking in western New York and never before seen at the time.
After winning 240 races in 1975 and claiming his fifth overall driving title, Sarama moved to New York in January of 1976 to race at Roosevelt Raceway to try and establish himself on the big circuit. However, things didn’t work well on his first try there. But when Sarama returned to western New York in 1976, he posted another career year. Besides winning another driving title, he became the first driver to ever win four sub-two minute miles on that circuit in one season.
At that time, Sarama was experiencing extraordinary success in overnight races with horses like Free Chase, Mar Con Cash, Rays Daughter, Sun City Baron, Jambo Bea and Sea Comet. During that particular stretch of his career, then track announcer Joe Alto dubbed Sarama, “the man with the hands,” because of his soft touch at the lines and that name stuck with him for the rest of his life.
In 1980, Sarama catch-drove a three-year-old colt named Danielles Romeo in the Open Pace at Buffalo and won in 1:57.4, which tied Albatross for the second fastest mile in track history. The horse’s connections were so impressed with Sarama's work, they asked him to go to New York and drive their stable of 18 horses for them. So he went back down to try again and this time it went like he had hoped.
In 1981, based at Roosevelt and Yonkers, Sarama had 177 wins and a career high earnings year of $1.3 million. In a short time, he became as sought after there as he was at home and experienced the same level of success during the 13 years he competed full time on that circuit. Sarama would earn in excess of $1 million two more times in both 1987 and 1988.
The single biggest highlight of his tenure in New York was when he finished second with Bays Fella behind Matts Scooter in the $461,404 Messenger Stakes at Yonkers in 1988. Sarama cut the mile in fractions of :28.2, :57.4 and 1:27 before Matts Scooter overtook him at the top of the stretch and won by 2-1/2 lengths. And oddly enough, it was Mike Lachance, who spent much of his early career driving at Batavia against Sarama, driving Matts Scooter.
Later in his driving career, Sarama encountered a series of setbacks. In two separate driving accidents that occurred a couple years apart, he broke his hip and his ankle. He continued to drive for several more years afterwards, but his starts were far fewer. So he transitioned from the sulky to the jog cart and continued training full time from 2005 until he retired in 2022.
Sarama’s career stats are very impressive, considering the era in which the bulk of them were achieved. As a driver, Sarama had 2,630 wins and earnings of $11,466,058, going over the $1 million mark three times. On the training side, he had 1,162 wins and $6,581,732 in purse money.
Sarama left an indelible mark on the sport of harness racing and as a result, earned the respect of his peers while gaining friends in racing jurisdictions across North America. Everyone knew "the man with the hands" and now those same people will miss him. But they will never forget how Sarama's talent helped mold what a modern day driver looks like or how he inspired generations of drivers who modelled themselves after him.
Sarama was predeceased by mother, Rose (nee Kaznica) Sarama, father Walter Sarama and brother, Daniel Sarama. He is survived by his daughter, Debbie (Paul) Kalstek and grandchildren, and nieces and nephews Angela (Jeffrey) Moeller, Cindy (late Richard) Kush, Jackie (Joseph) Ruhland, David Sarama, Daniel (Judy) Sarama and Scott (Deborah) Sarama. He is also survived by many dear friends, especially Mike Torcello, Tom Mariano and Roeshell Colley.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, Sept. 15 at 9:30 a.m. in St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church, corner of Reiman and Crocker Streets, Sloan, New York. There will be a private interment in Western New York National Cemetery in Corfu, New York. Flowers gratefully declined. Donations may be made in Sarama’s name to the VA Western New York Healthcare System. Share online condolences at smolarekcares.com.
Please join Standardbred Canada in offering condolences to the family and friends of Mr. Sarama.
(With files from Batavia Downs)