Northfield, OH – Could amateur driver Larry Ferrari be reaching his prime these days? The answer may be a resounding “yes” after his performance with So Wishfull (Wishing Stone) in the Great Lakes Amateur Driving Association event on Sunday night (Nov. 19) at MGM Northfield Park.

Larry Ferrari took the shortest route home in winning the GLADA event with So Wishfull on Sunday at Northfield Park. JB Photo.

In a career stretching 40 years in the sulky, when Ferrari’s So Wishfull crossed the wire a handy winner, his “batting average” (UDRS) reached .300 for the first time in his career stretching back to 1984. So Wishfull also is enjoying his best year with his sixth success of the season vaulting his 2023 earnings to $41,901—a new career plateau as well—with lifetime earnings now $137,712 to go along with a mark of 1:54.2, also set this year.

At the wire, So Wishfull left the late closing Brigotto, handled by Henry Beachy two lengths back in second with Dontyousayit, driven by Christina Johnson, and Another Breath, with Floyd Rhodes in his sulky, in a dead-heat for third. Cowboy Country (Edward Miller) picked up the nickel after being prominent throughout.

Beginning from post two this night, Ferrari sent his charge alertly off the wings and engaged in a war with Cowboy Country through a lively :28.1 opener before yielding. During the next half mile, Cowboy Country and Another Breath locked horns as these two raced as a team through subsequent panels of :58.2 and 1:28.1 with So Wishful now third locked up and Mr. Houdini contending second over.

So Wishfull, cool, calm and collected, found the passing lane turning for home and scooted to the wire justifying his 3-5 favoritism.

Ferrari trains the winner for his wife, Kiesha, and after the race, lamented, “We just got the best of the trips saving ground throughout and it was a bit chilly out there and we went the shortest distance tonight. We might have traveled 10 yards shorter than the others tonight and, you know, many races are won by a whisker or two, so the inside post made a big difference.”

Ferrari now has 380 lifetime driving wins to go along with 277 training successes.

GLADA competes on a weekly basis at MGM Northfield Park, as well as The Meadows on occasion, with all amateur driver’s earnings in these events earmarked for charitable distribution.