by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway
Monticello, NY — The Kentucky Derby has its “Run for the Roses”; the Preakness runs for the Black-Eyed Susans; and on Thursday afternoon, April 21, Monticello Raceway will have its annual “Race for the Matzohs” when the Catskill Mountains oval presents its 13th edition of the Passover Pace, a race strictly for drivers of Jewish heritage.
The event, which is always presented during the Passover celebration, will be the fourth leg of the track’s year-long Heritage Drivers Series and follows the St. Paddy Pace, the race for drivers of Irish extraction which was presented on March 17 and won by Jimmy Marohn.
Headlining this year’s Passover Pace will be former Amateur Driver of the Year and current president of the Monticello Harness Horsemen’s Association, Alan Schwartz, who has been a three-time Passover Pace winner. But when Mike Kimelman, president of Blue Chip Farms, heard Schwartz was in it he immediately declared that he’ll be in the event again this year.
Schwartz copped the 2002 event with Macs Wildwood Nukes is 2:04.3 and also won in a dead heat with Ross Cohen in 2004 when he guided Arctic Spur home simultaneously with Cohen’s Miss Dimensions in a 2:02.1 clocking. Having also won the 2006 edition with Old Town Bobiesox in 2:03.4, Schwartz quite possibly can be referred to as the “Ben Hur” of the modern era.
“Now wait a minute with this Ben Hur moniker for Schwartz,” chirped Kimelman, who also won his share of the previous Passover Paces. “I won three (Passover Pace) races, too. And just check out the payoffs on my horses — they were all longshots — not like Schwartz’s even–money winners!”
Kimelman won the Passover Pace in 1999 with Riz Biz in a 2:00.4 clocking and with GT’s Ideal Lady in 2:02.4 in 2003. He also copped the 2007 edition with Hill Billy Honey in 2:03.
Possible entrants include, among others, last year’s winner Alan Charles; the 2009 winner Peter Lutman III (his mom was Jewish); 2008 winner Bob Hechkoff; 2005 winner Mark Liebowitz; and inaugural Passover Pace winner Dr. Douglas King.
According to Eric Warner, the track’s director of racing, this is one of the easiest Heritage Drivers races to get drivers to participate in.
“People seem to come out of the woodwork to request a mount in this race,” Warner said, “And I’d love to accommodate them all but getting the horses (for them) to drive is a lot harder than getting the drivers.
“But on the other hand, the local horsemen have always been responsive to these Heritage Drivers races because they feel what goes around comes around and if someone helps supply a horse now maybe that effort will be reciprocated when their ethnic event comes up.”
The Passover Pace is open to any licensed harness driver of Jewish heritage who holds a full (A) or a provisional (P) license from the United States Trotting Association.
For further information, or to enter the event, please contact Warner in the racing office at 845.794.4100, ex. 557; or call the track’s publicity office at ext. 455.
- Charles set to defend title in Passover Pace (Thursday, April 07, 2011)
Last year Alan Charles won Monticello Raceway’s Passover Pace in his only attempt in the event in the 12 years it has been presented. He’s set to return in the “Race For the Matzos” when it goes to post on Thursday, April 21.