After starting from the six-hole Schwartz eased his trotter
away slowly and found a spot near the back of the pack after Bob Krivelin
and Hey Nugget took the lead from Tony Verruso and Swatissimo, who
grabbed the racetrack on the first turn.
Schwartz was still content to be in the rears, as
Krivelin took the field by the half in 1:01:1. At that point there were three
in and three out as they trotted up the backside, that is,
until Schwartz wheeled Iroquouindianmagic three-deep and he remained
there around the final turn. However, when the field straightened for home
Schwartz’s charge rambled by the leaders and went on to a two
length triumph in a time of 2:03.4.
Krivelin and Hey Nugget held on for second while Dave Yarock
got Rompaway Alvin home for the show dough.
Asked why he was in the back of the pack in the early going
Schwartz related: “That’s the way my horse races. I have to ease him away
from the gait slowly but once he gets underway he’s steady as a rock. I
was worried when we got stuck three- wide around the last turn but the
fractions were slow enough that my horse had lots of trot in the lane,”
Schwartz said.
Sent off at odds of 4-1 Iroquoindianmagic paid $10.20
for win.
The NAADA Trotting Series continues at Yonkers Raceway
on April 19. After that contest three more legs remain
–one at Monticello and two at Freehold Raceway- before the series culminates in
a $12,000 finale at Yonkers on Thursday May 17.
