Gerry Sarama, one of the most prolific harness racing drivers to ever come out of western New York and a man that helped define what a catch-driver was, passed away on Sunday, Sept. 6, 2026, at the age of 83.
Gerry got started in the business in 1963 at the age of 21 after serving his country for four years in the Marines. His father, Walter, and brother Dan were racing horses and when he was discharged, he started working as a groom for them.
He didn’t drive his first race until three years later and his first win was with a horse named Double Trouble, and he would springboard Gerry into the local limelight after stringing five wins in a row. Gerry got noticed for his driving work in an era when catch-driving was a new idea, and owners wanted him to drive their horses.
The first horse to give Gerry national recognition was an Invitational pacer named Armbro Harvey, who he drove all over the northeast in 1969, competing against the likes of Overcall and Rum Customer. The exposure Gerry got there afforded him the chance to make more connections and gain more drives, which pushed his career on a fast track.
Gerry had a breakout year in 1974 when he posted 166 wins, 117 seconds and 86 thirds and finished as the 10th best driver in North America. Those stats were also record-breaking in western New York and never before seen at the time.
After winning 240 races in 1975 and claiming his fifth overall driving title, Gerry moved to New York in January 1976 to race at Roosevelt Raceway to try and establish himself on the big circuit. However, things didn’t work well on his first try there. But when Gerry returned to western New York in 1976, he posted another career year. Besides winning another driving title, he became the first driver to ever win four sub-two minute miles on that circuit in one season.
At that time, Gerry was experiencing extraordinary success in overnight races with horses like Free Chase, Mar Con Cash, Rays Daughter, Sun City Baron, Jambo Bea and Sea Comet. During that particular stretch of his career, then track announcer Joe Alto dubbed Gerry, “the man with the hands,” because of his soft touch at the lines and that name stuck with him for the rest of his life.
In 1980, Gerry catch-drove a 3-year-old colt named Danielle’s Romeo in the Open pace at Buffalo and won in 1:57.4, which tied Albatross for the second-fastest mile in track history. The horse’s connections were so impressed with Gerry’s work that they asked him to go to New York and drive their stable of 18 horses for them. So, he went back down to try again and this time it went like he had hoped.
In 1981 based at Roosevelt and Yonkers, Gerry had 177 wins and a career high earnings year of $1.3 million. In a short time, he became as sought after there as he was at home and experienced the same level of success during the 13 years he competed fulltime on that circuit. Gerry would earn in excess of $1 million two more times, in 1987 and 1988.
The single biggest highlight of his tenure in New York was when he finished second with Bay’s Fella behind Matt’s Scooter in the $461,404 Messenger Stakes at Yonkers in 1988. Sarama cut the mile in fractions of :28.2, :57.4 and 1:27 before Matt’s Scooter overtook him at the top of the stretch and won by 2-1/2 lengths. And oddly enough, it was Mike Lachance, who spent much of his early career driving at Batavia against Sarama, driving Matt’s Scooter.
Later in his driving career, Gerry encountered a series of setbacks. In two separate driving accidents that occurred a couple years apart, he broke his hip and his ankle. He continued to drive for several more years afterwards, but his starts were far fewer. So, he transitioned from the sulky to the jog cart and continued training fulltime from 2005 until he retired in 2022.
Gerry’s career stats are very impressive, considering the era in which the bulk of them were achieved.
As a driver, Gerry had 2,630 wins and earnings of $11,466,058, going over the $1 million mark three times when that really meant something. On the training side, he had 1,162 wins and $6,581,732 in purse money.
Gerry left an indelible mark on the sport of harness racing and as a result earned the respect of his peers while gaining friends in racing jurisdictions across North America. Everyone knew “the man with the hands” and now those same people will miss him. But they will never forget how Gerry’s talent helped mold what a modern day driver looks like, or how he inspired generations of drivers who modeled themselves after him.
Gerry Sarama was predeceased by mother, Rose (née Kaznica) Sarama, father Walter Sarama and brother, Daniel Sarama. He is survived by his daughter, Debbie (Paul) Kalstek and grandchildren, and nieces and nephews Angela (Jeffrey) Moeller, Cindy (late Richard) Kush, Jackie (Joseph) Ruhland, David Sarama, Daniel (Judy) Sarama and Scott (Deborah) Sarama. He is also survived by many dear friends, especially Mike Torcello, Tom Mariano, and Roeshell Colley.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Mass of Christian Burial on Tuesday, Sept. 15, at 9:30 a.m. at St. Andrew Roman Catholic Church, corner of Reiman and Crocker Streets, Sloan, N.Y. There will be a private interment in Western New York National Cemetery in Corfu, N.Y. Flowers gratefully declined. Donations may be made in Gerry Sarama’s name to the VA Western New York Healthcare System. Share online condolences at www.smolarekcares.com.