Ciavardini in his ‘happy place’ back in the sport

Bob Ciavardini was in his mid-30s when he stepped away from harness racing to focus on a new career and raise a family. Never in the ensuing years did he ever really think about returning, but upon retiring, it didn’t take long for him to reconsider.

And now, more than three decades since he left, Ciavardini is relishing every opportunity to take the stage for his second act in the sport. The lifelong New Yorker has driven 20 winners since returning to the sulky in 2017 after a 27-year absence, with most of the victories coming in the past three seasons.

“I have a second chance, which I didn’t really plan on, and I’m trying to make the most of it,” said the 71-year-old Ciavardini, who drives primarily on the amateur circuit. “I really enjoy the places I go and the races I’m in. As you get older, you realize you’ve got to take it all in. I am doing that. I’m having a great time.”

It was Ciavardini’s brother, Richard, who helped steer Bob back to the sport when he said the two should take a trip to watch the races at Monticello one day. Ciavardini ran into a friend, Michael Spano, who suggested he buy a horse. Ciavardini got a $4,000 claimer and was back in the game.

“When I retired, I didn’t have horses on my mind at that point,” Ciavardini said. “But about six months later, I thought, what do I do now? I fixed everything (around the house). It wasn’t until my brother said about taking a ride to Monticello. That was the end of that. Thank God he said that. I guess it was fate.

“All those years of horses, it doesn’t go away. It’s in your blood, and that’s it.”

Ciavardini was in high school when he first began working around horses at a Standardbred farm up the road from where he grew up in Mount Kisco, N.Y., about 25 miles north of Yonkers Raceway. His father eventually bought a couple horses, and after Ciavardini graduated, he became more immersed in the sport. He got his trainer’s license in 1972 and took his dad’s horses on his own.

“I did have aspirations of being an architect,” Ciavardini said with a laugh. “So, I went to look at some colleges, but it wasn’t for me. The horses, everybody gets the bug.”

Ciavardini had a training stable and drove occasionally over the next 17 years, racing primarily at Roosevelt and Yonkers.

“I trained some decent horses, just claimers for the most part,” Ciavardini said. “I got my feet wet with that and I started to drive a little bit. I didn’t have a lot of success, but I drove against the best.”

One of Ciavardini’s owners in the late 1980s was a union delegate in New York City and suggested he look into working union construction. In 1989, Ciavardini decided to make the career change, and he remained with the company for 25 years. That might have been the end of the story if not for Ciavardini’s brother.

“When I got back into it, I thought I’d like to drive again,” Ciavardini said. “It keeps me young. It keeps me going. I’m just so happy I’m able to do it, and I’m able to do it now at a pretty good level. I’ve had some success.”

Ciavardini’s highlights since returning to the sulky include notching his first comeback victory at Goshen’s Historic Track in 2017 with trotter Baltimor As, winning at Woodbine Mohawk Park in 2023 with 24-1 shot Frownies Miracle, and getting his first Meadowlands triumph this past November with Caviart Skipper.

“Winning at The Meadowlands was one of the biggest checks on the bucket list,” Ciavardini said, adding with a laugh, “It took me almost 50 years to get it, but I got it.

“The Mohawk win was very exciting, that was another track I always wanted to win at, and it was very special for the people I drove for. I went to the Red Mile, I went to Delaware, Ohio. Those were all things on my bucket list, to race there. I did get to check off some of those things.”

Topping the list of Ciavardini’s top moments, though, was his win this past November at Monticello. Ciavardini guided Judge Ken to victory that day in front of his family, including grandson Hunter (on his birthday, no less) and granddaughter Harper.

“We enjoy it as a family,” Ciavardini said. “My kids like it, my grandkids love it. They were in the winner’s circle for the first time at Monticello. That was my biggest thrill ever, to have both of my grandkids there. I’ve won a few races that were exciting, but to have my grandkids there to see me win a race was off the charts.”

Ciavardini will aim for more memorable moments as this year goes on, traveling the amateur circuit with his wife, Diane. His next opportunity to race is Friday at The Meadowlands, where he will drive Posh Onthe Beach A in a Meadowlands Amateur Drivers Club event.

“I love to play golf, I like to go fishing, and take my grandkids fishing, but the horses are the lifeblood for me,” Ciavardini said. “I don’t think I could be without horses.

“Back when I was a younger guy, there were a thousand things to worry about. Now, there is no pressure. I’m just having a lot of fun. I won’t ever give it up. Someday, I’m sure, I’m going to have to stop driving, but right now I feel like I’m 100 percent. And I’ve met a lot of good people over the years, and now we’re going to be lifelong friends. I totally enjoy it. I’m in a happy place.”

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA