Eighteen of
the country’s top amateur drivers will convene at Harrah’s Philadelphia on
Sunday afternoon November 24th to compete in the Delvin Miller
Memorial Driving Gold and Silver Cup Championships - the final contests in the
seven- month C.K.G. Billings Harness Driving Series. The Delvin Miller Harness
Drivers Association has announced that the entire $2,000 in drivers’
commissions to be earned in these events will be donated to the fund being
established to assist Anthony Coletta, the young driver severely injured in a
driving accident at Harrah’s Philadelphia last weekend.
Two
nine-horse divisions will comprise the championship finals with the $15,000
Silver Cup carded as race 10 and the $25,000 Gold Cup race as 12 on Sunday’s
pari-mutuel program. Both divisions will be contested at the distance of 1-1/4
miles.
Noteworthy
about this year’s grand finales to the Billings Driving Series is that they
will be raced to aid, Anthony Coletta, who sustained grave injuries from a
driving accident last week and is fighting for his life in a Philadelphia
hospital. While it is customary for amateur drivers to donate the driving
commissions they earn to charitable causes, the donation of their commissions
from these races is to provide financial aid to a fallen fellow driver in
critical condition with onerous survival challenges. “Like many of the
professional drivers and others who are stepping up to help Anthony Coletta
survive the biggest fight of his life, the Billings Series drivers are
committed to doing our part”, stated Tony Verusso,
President of the Delvin Miller Harness Drivers Association which runs the
annual Billings Amateur Driving Series.
“Marvelous
Marvin” Raber’s ultra-consistent Tabulator, who has drawn post six, and Bob
“the Headhunter” Hechkoff’s Thehouseisrockin from post eight, figure to be
the ones to beat in the Gold Cup Championship. However, the overall
Billings Series and Midwest point leader, Steve “You’re Never Too” Oldford and
his Oliver Kiss will undoubtedly be heard from when they leave from the four
hole.
Thehouseisrockin’s
eight wins and almost $39,000 in purse earnings this year tops all his
competition ‘s seasonal stats. But Tabulator’s 1:56.2 record ,with seven
victories, and a $31,000 seasonal bankroll owns the fastest win time of the
nine starters. Oldford’s Oliver Kiss , with over $21,000 in earnings and
a 1:59.2 mark this year usually seems to find a way to be in the hunt.
The Silver
Cup appears to be a barn-burner when “Tough Tony” Ciuffetelli’s, CR What’s My
Name, and Dave “Yes It’s True” Offenberg’s Whatnblazes, lock horns. The former
has a $52,000 seasonal bankroll with 12 wins and a half-mile mark of 1:56.4
while the latter sports over $31,000 in yearly earnings with a 1:59.3 record
over a double oval. And last year’s USHWA Amateur Driver of the Year,
Bobby “Rapid Rail” Krivelin’s five-time winner Current Crisis with a
1:57.3 mark can’t be counted out.
Last year “Trader Bud” Hatfield won the Gold Cup with Wolf’s
Jann in a time of 2:31.2 and “Smokin’ Joe” Faraldo copped the Silver Cup
Championship with Travelin’ Preacher in 2:31.4. Hatfield will again compete in
the Gold Cup from post 9 with Wolf’s Jann who only has seven starts and
purses of $1585 thus far in 2013. “Smokin’ Joe” will not drive this year
because of a nasty elbow injury he sustained a month ago while riding a bicycle
with his girlfriend on the streets near his home in Kew Gardens, Queens.
