by John Manzi, publicity director, Monticello Raceway

Monticello, NY — Last year, for the first time, Bob Krivelin competed in Monticello Raceway’s Passover Pace and he walked away a winner after he reined Whitaker Blue Chip to a 2:01.4 triumph in the ‘Race For The Matzos.’

“I felt like Moses leading the Jews out of Egypt,” Krivelin joked after winning the race which features the talents of drivers of Jewish heritage and on Thursday (April 12) Krivelin will be back in the sulky to defend his crown.

“I don’t usually drive pacers but let me tell you they are a whole lot easier to handle than some of the trotters I’ve been driving lately,” he offered.

The 14th annual Passover Pace will be the third leg of Monticello Raceway’s Heritage Drivers Series, a series of races throughout the year which features various ethnic groups who enjoy driving harness horses. The winners of each heritage event will convene later in the fall to compete in the series finale, the All-America Cup.

“The All-America moniker pertains to America, herself, since the greatest country on earth consists of people of diverse ethnic backgrounds,” explained Eric Warner, the track’s director of racing.

The winners of each Heritage Drivers Series preliminary will earn the right to compete in the All-America Cup. Already with a berth in the series finale are Bobby “Boonie” Williams, Jr. and Jimmy Taggart, Jr. Williams won the Dr Martin Luther King, Jr. Pace for drivers of African-American heritage while Taggart was victorious in the St. Paddy Pace for drivers of Irish heritage.

Prior to Krivelin’s acceptance to defend his title, already confirmed to compete in this year’s Passover Pace were Alan Charles, Peter Kleinhans, Mike Kimelman and Alan Schwartz.

For further information concerning the event, interested parties are asked to contact Warner in the race office by calling 845.794.4100, ext. 557. Or they can call the track’s publicity office at ext. 455.