After copping three of the six preliminary legs of the North
American Amateur Drivers Association’s spring trotting series it was a
really no surprise that Bob Krivelin was victorious in the $14,000 series
finale at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday evening April 24.
Although Krivelin had trouble getting his trotter Current
Crisis away from the starting gate they still prevailed at the finish when they
collared the pacesetter, Get Packin and his driver Bob Hechkoff I mid-stretch,
and go on to score a length victory in a time of 1:59.3.
“Before I bought him (Current Crisis) he was the Maine
champion at three (years old) when Donny Richards had him, but he (Current
Crisis) was always hard to get going,” Kriveli reltated. “So Richards would
keep him back and then time the (starting) gate at the start. But If Richards
had to put Current Crisis on gate he’d have trouble getting him away on the
trot.
“But last night from the two-hole at Yonkers we were
three lengths off at the start and I was lucky to find a place
along the pylons on the first turn.”
Krivelin had Current Crisis in fifth position as the field
headed to the half and when Tony Verruso went first up with Northmedo Wine Guy
Krivelin moved his trotter up behind Verruso’s.
“I was getting a good second over trip behind Tony’s horse until
he faded and I had to go three deep. But I quickly got around him and fell in
behind Hechkoff who was on the lead.” Krivelin said. “I then
followed him until the top of the stretch and when he headed for home my horse
was stronger than his and we easily beat him to the wire.”
Get Packin and Hechkoff held on for second money while
Kendal Giovanni and Bob Davis got up for the show dough in the non-wagering
event.
To say that Bob Krivelin is enthralled with amateur racing
would be an understatement. True, as the owner of a major food
distributorship in the metropolitan area, he makes a comfortable living
but his heart and soul revolves around the standardbred sport in general and
amateur racing in particular.
A winner of 157 races, including last year’s Billings Final,
Krivelin, a three-time National Amateur Driver of the Year, is especially proud
that the amateur drivers do lots of charity work donating to various
organizations throughout the year.
Secretly, or maybe not so, he dreams of winning the Hambletonian
as an amateur like Mal Burroughs did a few years ago.
“Winning a Hambletonian may never happen but it certainly is
a goal of mine,” Krivelin added. “ I’ll keep investing in young trotters with
hopes of getting one good enough to have a chance to be competitive. But
even if that doesn’t happen I’ll still enjoy driving, and winning, of course.”
