USA amateur drivers beat Italy

Editor’s Note: USTA Chairman of the Board and veteran amateur driver Joe Faraldo is in Italy for an amateur driving competition. Here are his insights from the trip and the competition.

While support for amateur racing continues to grow and be accepted in the USA, it is firmly entrenched in Italy as well as throughout the continent. It is also subject to much stricter rules than we have in the USA. There are no clubs here accepting pros into amateur clubs, better termed merely driving clubs. To become an amateur driver here, that is explained better by Stefano De Lena, as follows.

“For the first 24 months the amateur can drive only his/her horses and only on races reserved to amateurs. After 24 months the amateur can also drive other horses (again only on races reserved to amateurs) but under the conditions that he/she has made five wins or 20 places during the previous 24 months. Only if an amateur has made 150 wins can he/she start driving his/her horses (but no other horses, only his horses) also in races reserved to professional drivers.”

Here is how we faired against the competition.

By virtue of a win and a second (by a nose) from Tony Beltrami and a win by me at Ippodromo Cesena the American amateurs had their revenge after a series of defeats on US soil at the hands of our Italian counterparts.

The trainer of my horse said to “keep him calm otherwise he is very difficult to manage.” Knowing I could easily put one to sleep this was going to be a no brainer. After the trainer came out, just before we went behind the gate, to remove the mask from the horse and one quick Hail Mary, we were headed in only one direction, the front, never ever to look back.

For Beltrami, the task was more difficult as he had to come from six back to charge down the stretch to just fall short a nose to the Italian driver or the Americans would have had a sweep.

Clearly the point leader on our team was Beltrami. Beltrami, by virtue of a win and a second, Scott Keppler’s second, and my win sealed the deal. Had Scott not suffered a flat tire or Alan Schwartz had better luck, the points separating us might have been greater.

The owners at the Ippodromos, Padova and Cesena, their handicappers/race secretaries who secured the horses, randomly drawn, could not have been more gracious. Micele Canali from the Gentlemen’s Club Emilia-Romagno and Stefano De Lena, Club Veneto, took care of our every need and of course our transportation, lodging, wine and macaroni. Aiding in these tasks was the ever-present Stefano, accompanied from day one of these seven days by Sophia, Aldo, Ortello, Roberto and Rafaelo

This evening (Saturday, July 22), a gala award ceremony and farewell dinner will take place with no less than 60 Italian amateurs from these and more clubs throughout Italy in attendance, including Mauro Biasuzzi, president of all the amateur Italian clubs as well as a longtime friend, accomplished driver and globally recognized breeder. Many old friends we have made over the years will attend and we will sadly depart Italy. Arrivederci Tutti. Ci vediamo tutti in America.

by Joseph Faraldo, for the USTA