Verruso gets longshot home

YONKERS, N.Y.— Sent the second longest shot on the board, Call Me Thefireman and Anthony Verruso cleared command from the outermost post and landed the harness racing spoils in the $10,000 North American Amateur Drivers Club (NAADA) Trot at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday night (March 16).

Leaving from post 7 in the scratched-down field, Verruso landed Call Me Thefireman on the point before a :28.4 first quarter with Tubrochargedpete (driven by Joe Faraldo) sitting in the pocket. Dark Pool (Tony Beltrami) raced third and soon came calling first over into a :59.3 half, but stalled as the tempo lifted slightly toward three-quarters in 1:28.4. Call Me Thefireman spun for home on a diminishing lead as Dark Pool laid aim for a final time, but the line came in time for Verruso to claim victory in 1:59.1 by a half length. Dark Pool settled for second with Turbochargedpete finishing third and Cyclone Maximus (Jacob Stillwell) moving up to fourth via disqualification.

Symon Spicer trains Call Me Thefireman, a seven-year-old gelding by Wishing Stone, for owner Anthony Verruso. He paid $64 to win.

NAADA action returns on Thursday, March 23 to Yonkers Raceway. First post at Yonkers is 7:15 p.m. (EDT).

For complete race results, click here.

by Ray Cotolo, for NAADA