by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Move over Alan Schwartz. There’s a new Ben Hur in town and his name is Bobby Krivelin.

Krivelin and his free legged pacer, Isn’t She Lovely, wore down Schwartz’s front-running Shezaflamintower to score a 2:04.1 triumph in Monticello Raceway’s 15th annual Passover Pace on the windy and rainy afternoon of Monday (April 1).

The event was the third leg of the raceway’s Heritage Drivers Series 2013.

Bobby Krivelin urges Isn’t She Lovely as they go by Shezaflamintower and Alan Schwartz in the deep stretch.

Krivelin won the ‘Race for the Matzos’ two years ago and on Monday denied Schwartz his fourth winner in the event when their two pacers came to the wire nearly simultaneously. But the late rally by Isn’t She Lovely made the 8-year-old B Dramatic mare a head winner over Shezaflamintower on the racetrack slowed by the falling rain.

“It was a true-Jew exacta,” Krivelin told anyone in the winner’s circle who was within earshot of his diatribe as he was being presented with the huge trophy on the success of his mission.

“She (Isn’t She Lovely) did it all by herself,” he continued, “because my goggles were full of mud and I could hardly see a thing coming through the stretch. I had to pull them down just so I could see a little bit.”

When the field set sail, Schwartz found himself on the outside as his mare chugged toward the front and made the top only when Murray Bassen, driving Miss Mathews, grabbed leather as the two passed the first stanza in :29.2.

From there Schwartz’s pacer had control of the race. But as the field passed the three-quarters, Schwartz, in a move to urge his pacer on, struck the right shaft with his whip.

“It seemed like a good idea at the time but when I hit the shaft my whip got caught somehow and I never had any use of it from there home,” Schwartz related. “I don’t know if we would have won it but I believe I could have done more serious urging if I had my whip, especially while I was watching Kriv (Bobby Krivelin) gaining on us in the deep stretch. That may have been the right moment to spank my mare, but I had no whip.”

Geri Schwarz photos

Bobby Krivelin is all smiles as he receives his box of matzos from Judy Levine, the facility’s wardrobe manager.

So Schwartz and Sheszaflamintower had to settle for second money.

Third place went to Mary Lou, driven by Peter Kleinhans. Bob Hechkoff finished fourth with May Knight and last year’s Passover race winner, Alan Charles, faded and finished fifth with Fulla Joy after they made a big run and were just a neck off the pacesetter near the three-quarters.

Other drivers who participated included Murray Bassen, Dave Yarock and Derick Giwner.

Isn’t She Lovely is owned by Ben Versaci and Steve Moore and trained by Moore. She paid $6.60 for win.

Next up in the Heritage Drivers Series 2013 will be the Lady Godiva Pace for women drivers on Monday (May 13).