It is a well-known fact, especially around Monticello
Raceway, that Schwartz is one of the best amateurs competing today.
Racing mostly against professionals Schwartz more than holds his own. His 462
career wins can attest to his driving prowess.
On April 2nd Schwartz had another driving double
– his second in as many weeks --which raised his seasonal win total to 19 and
that’s in just 79 trips to post. When his 11 seconds and six thirds are
factored in, his universal driving percentage is a whopping .377.
That Monday Schwartz won the first race with his own
trotter, Iroquouindianmagic in a 2:01.4 clocking and then came back in
the sixth to score a 1:59.1 triumph with Pembroke Boogie , a pacer he
also owns.
Nevertheless he is quick to praise his patch-up
purchase of veteran pacer Doug’s Boy whom Schwartz says gives him a million
dollars worth of pleasure every time they go to post. And since he acquired the
broken-down once classy veteran a few years ago for “next to nothing” as
Schwartz describes it, together they have won 25 races in 63 starts.
Among his other accomplishments, Schwartz was named the
National Amateur Driver of the Year during the 2000 season and he
has represented the United States three times in the prestigious World Cup of
Amateur Racing. He has driven in many European countries as well as in
Canada, New Zealand, Australia & Russia and usually with good success
winning races in every country in which he drove. He has also been named
Amateur Driver of the Year twice by the Monticello Goshen Chapter USHWA.
And in 2002, he received the Clyde Hirt "Good Guy" award by the NYC
chapter of USHWA.
Schwartz has been a Billings
Champion, too, and though his focus now is more on his small racing stable
than traveling around the country to compete in the Billings Series he’ll
tell you that next to his wife, children and grandchildren, driving in harness
races is his biggest love.
A few seasons ago Schwartz was
elected president of the Monticello Harness Horsemen’s Association and he
works tirelessly for the good of both his horsemen and for the good of racing.
His rapport with track management works to everyone’s advantage.
“Working with management is a two way street,” he says.
“Like all business negotiations its give and take. Nobody ever gets everything
they want. Together we have done some good things for the horsemen and some
good things for management. But there never is, nor ever was, a hostile word.”
And Schwartz should know because prior to being a
full-time horseman he was an astute businessman who founded and
operated Coast To Coast Moving and Storage.
"Although I'm putting in more hours and working harder
today than I ever did when I was in my own business, between farm work at
home , jogging my horses everyday, and Horseman's Association business, my days
are long but it’s a labor of love. Needless to say I love
racing and I am seriously committed to making things better for
the Monticello Horseman…. It's my passion."
