by John Manzi, for the
Billings Series
Yonkers, NY-- “Now
that the baseball season is over I can concentrate a little more on my love of
amateur racing,” “Yankee Joe” Lee, the locker room manager for the New York
Yankees said after he won a NAADA Trot this afternoon at Monticello Raceway.
Well maybe it was that
concentration Lee was referring to that enabled him to earn another driving
victory when he won the Billings trot tonight (Thursday, Oct. 10) with On The
Podium in 2:00.3 at Yonkers Raceway.
After a wire-to-wire victory
in the daylight at The Mighty M Lee found the winners circle under the lights
with a covered trip after he gunned his trotter to the front and then sat
comfortably in the two hole and followed Wygant Prince and “Coach Paul”
Minore's lead.
Although the 29 second first
quarter took some sting out of Wygant Prince there was more stress for the old
veteran when he didn't get a breather because he had to contend with a
parked-out Gianni and driver “Mighty Matt Zuccarello.
So while the aforementioned
duo slugged it out on the engine Lee sat calmly in the pocket and was carried
all the way to the top of the lane.
Along the way Bobby “Rapid
Rail” Krivelin with Permanent Joy, and Bob “the Brewster Flash” Ciavardini with
Baltimor AS, worked their way into contention by the top of the stretch but not
before Joe Lee scooted around Gianni and everyone was chasing On the Podium to
the wire..
However, nobody caught him as Lee had a driving double, albeit at
two different racetracks. Baltimor AS was second best while Permanent Joy had
to settle for the show dough.
Unlike the Monticello trots
earlier in the day this was a non-wagering affair. Jose Godinez trains the
winner for Lee, Tony Nicometo and the Blindswitch Racing Stable.
For Joe Lee, who drove
initially in 2010 and for the next five years only when he got time off from
his obligations to the Bronx Bombers was he able to enjoy the competition of
driving a spirited steed.
During those years he notched five victories in 88 starts but
since then he's had 41 driving victories and a National Amateur Driver of the
Year Award bestowed on him last season. And his 10 wins thus far this year puts
him in contention for another award.
