After winning the German-American Friendship Competition
race at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday, Andreas Schwarz
won the initial event in the competition at Vernon Downs on
Friday (Oct. 4) with 4-1 shot Rompaway Brandon in 1:56.1 when
he finished two lengths ahead of fellow German, Christoph
Pellander with Don Dinero
Despite the near heroics of Schwarz, which brought the
German team to within two points of the Americans going into the final race in
the Friendship Competition leg at Vernon, he could do no better than
finish fourth with Mystical Con in last event.
Although he had his horse in contention at the top of the
stretch the trotter flattened out in the lane while USA’s Vladimir
Melnichenko overtook the pace-setter, Salome Marvel , driven by
Germany’s Peter Platzer, to score a 1:59.4 victory and save the day for
the American team.
As a result of the two races at Vernon Downs the American’s
point total of 107 was six points better than the visiting German’s 101, and
they felt got revenge of sorts after the thumping they took at the
hands of the Germans on their own soil last year.
Although the German team of Schwarz, Pellander and Platzer
and Martina Bredlau was constant at the three tracks in international driving
competition the Americans fielded three different NAADA teams at each
venue.
At Vernon, Bernie Boland, George Bonomo and Simeon Hunsdon
joined Melnichenko to comprise NAADA team there.
On Saturday night (Oct. 5) the visiting Germans were treated
to a dinner cruise around the Statue of Liberty in New York harbor.
“The Germans were very impressed with the boat ride to
the face of the Statue of Liberty and were appreciative of all the
great work NAADA’s Alicia Schwartz and her team did to make their trip a
memorable one,” said Joe Faraldo the president of NAADA, which hosted
all parties in the Friendship Competition.
“They went home trying to figure out what they could do to
top the hospitality shown them in the US and being that we are located in one
of the greatest cities on earth with so many things to see and do, that may be
a tough road to hoe.”
