by john manzi,
fort NAADA
Sporting brand new driving
colors Tony Ciuffetelli bidded his time and then rallied Better To Be Lucky to
a come-from-behind victory in the NAADA Trotting Series season's opener at
Monticello Raceway on the ides of March.
They traveled along in third
position until the three quarters as Monica Banca and Master of Excuses cut all
the fractions before yielding in the deep stretch. Third place in the 2:00
trotting mile went to Ladys Big Stormont, driven by Alan Schwartz.
“He raced good today,”
Ciuffetelli said as he hung up the lines after his driving victory. “It (the
race) didn't go as I had planned. I had visions of taking the lead but when I
saw that Monica (Banca) wanted the front-end I eased my trotter down along the
pylons into third position.
“I ended-up having a good
trip and waited as long as I could to make a move for the lead which I did as
we neared the three quarters. After ranging alongside Monica's horse (Master of
Excuses) we raced head to head around the final turn and by mid-stretch I knew
we'd be the winner.”
Better To be Lucky pulled
away in the final strides for the trotter's second consecutive victory, having
won a claiming trot at Saratoga Raceway on March 4th with Phil Fluet
at the reins.
Sent off as second choice,
at odds of better than 2-1, the winner paid $6.60. Ciuffettelli owns and trains
the 6-year-old Lucky Chucky gelding who notched his second seasonal triumph.
For Ciuffetelli, a retired corrections officer, it marked his third seasonal
driving victory in just seven trips to post and his 53rd career
triumph.
Today's NAADA Trot was the
first in a two-track trotting series—with Yonkers Raceway--which will end in a
$15,000 Final at the Hilltop oval on Friday, May 17.
Next up will be a leg at
Yonkers Raceway on Thursday March 22.
