by John Manzi, for NAADA
Monticello, NY — The results of the North American Amateur Drivers Association Trot at Monticello Raceway on a steamy Thursday afternoon (July 5) were a case of good things coming to those who wait. And Bob Krivelin bided his time shadowing the leader before then ralliying his veteran trotter, Permanent Joy, to a 1-1/2 victory over seven others in a 2:00 clocking.
Overlooked and sent off at odds of over 14-1, Krivelin’s charge notched his first seasonal triumph and paid $31.40.
When the starter said “go,” Joe Lee gunned second choice On The Podium to the lead from the three-hole, and they easily had command as the rest of the field all looked for positions along the pylons. Because of that, Lee got his trotter by the first stanza in a soft :29.3 while Krivelin and Permanent Joy were comfortable in the two-hole.
On The Podium then trotted another :29.3 quarter with the trailing horses content to sit still. As they headed for the third stanza, Lee’s charge looked comfortable as no one in arrears could make up any ground.
When the field rounded the final turn, On The Podium looked like a winner. But in mid-stretch he began to falter, and Krivelin and Permanent Joy rallied along the pylons and went on to a triumph, the horse’s first victory in five seasonal starts.
On The Podium held on for second place while Gianni and Matt Zuccarello finished third.
“He’s a grand old veteran who’s won more than a quarter of a million dollars in his career,” Krivelin said in the paddock after the race as he hung up the lines. “But really, he (Permanent Joy) was down in class after having raced in the weekly winners-over here for the past four weeks.”
Permanent Joy, a 10-year old altered son of Trot For Joy, is owned by the Hero Stable and trained by his driver. Krivelin, a longtime accomplished amateur driver, scored his fifth seasonal triumph and the 217th of his illustrious career.