by John Manzi for NAADA

Monticello, NY — Two divisions in the North American Amateur Drivers Association Fall Trotting Series were on tap on Thursday afternoon (Sept. 17) at Monticello Raceway and when the dust cleared Joe Lee and Tony Farina each emerged victorious in their respective splits.

Lee won with Mario Bi in a time of 2:00.4 while Farina scored behind Chelseas Chance in 1:59.3.

Mario Bi was a 2:00.4 winner for driver Joe Lee.

Lee, the assistant equipment manager for the New York Yankees, subbed for Joe Faraldo and he scored an easy victory with the 4-year-old Andover Hall stallion.

After getting away slowly from the three hole, Lee had Mario Bi some nine lengths off the leader as Pembroke Snapshot and Hannah Miller showed the way in the :28.3 first stanza. When the field headed for the halfway point Lee was out and going with his trotter and they were in third position on the limb, but just two lengths off the lead.

However, up the backside Mario Bi trotted to the front and from there Lee’s trotter opened up daylight and cruised home an easy three length winner. Gimme The Loot was second under the wire for Bobby Krivelin but a racing infraction caused the trotter to be disqualified and placed last. That allowed Tagmaster and Tony Ciuffetelli to be moved up to second and Pembroke Snapshot to inherit the show position.

Owned by Joe Faraldo, Mario Bi paid $6.00 for win and for Lee it was his third driving victory of the year and eighth since he began amateur racing in 2010.

In the other split, young Tony Farina scored an impressive come-from-behind triumph with Chelseas Chance, a 4-year-old daughter of Kadabra, in 1:59.3.

Geri Schwarz photos

Tony Farina piloted Chelseas Chance to a 1:59.3 triumph.

Sent off as the 8-5 favorite in the contest, Farina was content to follow the leaders through fractions of :29.1, :59.1 and 1:29.4.

In fourth position, four lengths off the lead at the top of the stretch, Chelseas Chance rallied with a :28.3 final quarter to score a 1-1/2 length victory in 1:59.3, her sixth of the season. Second money went to Current Crisis (Bobby Krivelin) while Typical New Yorker took home the show dough for Tony Verruso.

Jerry Ray trains the winner for The Absolute Return Stable. She returned a $4.70 win mutuel. For the 24-year-old Tony Farina it was his second driving victory this year and second of his fledgling career.

On Sunday a NAADA contingent consisting of Joe Faraldo, Alan Schwartz, Joe Pennacchio and Hannah Miller will wing their way to Spain for a return competition with the Spanish amateurs on the island of Mallorca.