Schwartz sweeps NAADA divisions

YONKERS, N.Y.— Alan Schwartz took two different routes to land twice in the harness racing winner’s circle for the second round of the North American Amateur Drivers Association (NAADA) Spring Series on Thursday night (March 9) at Yonkers Raceway.

Division one, a non-betting event, preceded the pari-mutuel card and saw Schwartz lead pillar-to-post with Gary Messenger trainee Onemoreswan (Swan For All). Schwartz hustled the six-year-old gelding out of post 4 and to the point before a :29.1 first quarter with Call Me Thefireman (driven by Anthony Verruso) in the pocket.

After snagging a breather to a :59.3 half, Schwartz upped the tempo in the backside as Shoemaker Hanover (John Calabrese) pressed uncovered along the rim and trotted towards the leader’s wheel to three-quarters in 1:29.

Shoemaker Hanover continued pestering Onemoreswan rounding the final turn but could not down the stubborn leader in the lane, settling for second by a neck. Call Me Thefireman came within a length of the top pair in third with Cavalier George (Joe Lee) giving chase in fourth.

Brenda Messenger and Scott Woogen own Onemoreswan.

After cutting the clip in the first division, Schwartz worked a pocket ride for his pupil Raceace (Yankee Glide) and catapulted to a 2:00.1 victory while pulling a 10-1 upset.

K J Kyra (Joe Lee) kicked to the lead with Raceace securing the ride behind the leader to a :29.2 first quarter. Trump This (Tony Ciuffetelli), parked from the start, progressed from midfield through a 1:00.2 half while Dark Pool (Tony Beltrami) caught his cover.

Though K J Kyra continued under minimal threat towards three-quarters in 1:29.3 before slowing in the final turn. Trump This then began a retreat, which opened a seam for Schwartz to slide through and around K J Kyra before darting away to the lead in the stretch. Dark Pool rallied down the center of the track to take second, beaten a half length, with Winneress (Anthony Verruso) weaving through traffic to take third. K J Kyra settled for fourth.

Schwartz owns Raceace, a seven-year-old gelding. He paid $22 to win.

NAADA action returns next Thursday (March 16) at Yonkers Raceway for the third leg of the Spring Series. First-race post time at Yonkers is 7 p.m. (EST).

For complete non-wagering race results, click here.

For complete pari-mutuel race results, click here.

by Ray Cotolo, for NAADA