by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Goshen, NY — When it comes to Christmas gifts, it’s tough to beat a trip to the U.S. Trotting Association’s Driving School. At least it is in the eyes of Gail Farrell.

Farrell and her companion, Donn Lewandrowski, were among the 24 participants in the USTA’s 17th annual Driving School, which concluded over the weekend. The four-day school was held at the Harness Racing Museum and Hall of Fame in Goshen and the Mark Ford Training Center near Middletown.

Participants worked with trainers during the mornings and then heard from guest speakers in the afternoons. At the completion of the program, participants were able to take the written portions of the driver’s and/or trainer’s tests. Speakers included trainers Mark Ford, Paul Kelley and Ray Schnittker; drivers Jason Bartlett, Tyler Buter and Jeff Gregory; and veterinarian Dr. Rod Stewart.

Gail Farrell works with a horse during the USTA’s 17th annual Driving School.

“I get the best Christmas presents ever, but this one is the top,” Farrell said. “This is it. This is the best.”

Lewandrowski and Farrell, both retired special education teachers from upstate New York, have owned horses for seven years. They got into ownership after attending a USTA seminar for new owners at Vernon Downs.

“I liked to play the horses,” Lewandrowski said. “A friend of mine said why don’t you buy a horse? We thought about it just joking at first, but we ended up buying a horse. Now we’ve got six horses. We wanted to learn more about the sport from the inside. We had a great time, especially the hands on stuff that we’ve never done. We’re having a blast.”

Added Farrell, “These horses are amazing. Everybody (in the stables) cares. They’re really into the care of these animals. That’s what you saw through the whole program, that the animals come first.”

But what will Lewandrowski do to top the Driving School gift this Christmastime?

“Maybe it’ll last for two years and I won’t have to get any this year,” he said with a laugh.

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Susan Zweig might have a name familiar to harness racing fans — there is an annual trotting race for 3-year-olds named in memory of her father, Dr. Harry M. Zweig — but she wanted to attend the Driving School to learn more about the racing side of the business.

Dr. Zweig, who started Middlebrook Farms with his wife Anna in the late 1950s, was instrumental in the formation of the New York Sire Stakes program.

Susan Zweig washes a jog cart while trainer Paul Kelley looks on.

“I’ve wanted to come for a long time,” Zweig said. “Having the background in just a breeding farm, boarding farm, situation, this is kind of the piece of the puzzle that I never get to be part of. It’s really been great. I’ve loved coming down here and seeing the inside workings, the hands on. It was so much fun being behind a horse and driving for the first time. It’s really exciting.”

Photojournalist Victor Blue also has deep roots in the sport — his grandfather, Dick Taylor, is a respected horseman from Indiana and aunt Ellen Taylor is the executive director of the Harness Horse Youth Foundation.

“I’ve learned a lot working with family, but I wanted to see what else I could learn over here,” said Blue, who lives in Brooklyn. “It’s great. I’ve most enjoyed the hustle and bustle of the morning routine. Seeing how the stable functions day to day and then also being part of the routine. And I just love fussing with the horses.

“(Working with horses) has been off and on my whole life. One of these days when I settle down, I hope to figure out a way to incorporate harness racing into my life in a more regular way rather than just a few times a year. That would be cool.”

That might be the case for Eric Becker, who has a small insurance agency in Milford, Del.

Eric Becker assists Marianne Jensen with Penji Hanover.

“I’ve been looking to do this for a couple years and figured this would be a good time,” Becker said about the Driving School. “The kids are in college now so I’ve got plenty of time and I’m looking for a new hobby. I thought I would give this a try and see what it’s all about.

“I’ve been to the track a few times and I have friends that are in (harness racing) in Delaware. I’d like to own some horses and maybe train. I’m getting a little too old to drive. Maybe work with a trainer in Delaware to get some experience. The school’s been great. It’s very informative. The speakers have been great; the grooms in the barn have been great. It’s been really fun.”

Other participants were attending Driving School with the hopes of soon getting on the racetrack as drivers. River Roubaix, an Ohio resident who owns a horse camp in Tennessee, was among that group.

“I’d like to get a license to race matinees and fairs to start with and see where I go from there,” Roubaix said. “I’m looking for more experience and I like how they take you through the steps (at Driving School). I’m 58 now. Baby steps right now. We’ll see what happens.”

Travis Ceppaluni, a 16-year-old high school student from central New Jersey, was introduced to harness racing by his grandfather and went to Freehold Raceway every Saturday — until he got a job. (Although he still keeps an eye on the races on a computer.) He also participated in two Harness Horse Youth Foundation programs.

“I want to own, train and drive some horses; make a career out of it,” Ceppaluni said. “You can’t be the best at everything, so I guess I would want to ultimately be a driver. But you have to learn first, learn how to be with the horses, before you can be a driver. I want to know everything I can about the horses. I think that’s how you become a good driver.

“Everything is great here,” he added. “I’ve had a lot of fun.”

USTA/Ken Weingartner photos

Caleb Tucker and River Roubaix would both like to drive Standardbreds.

Caleb Tucker, a 27-year-old Vermont resident, owns a trotter, Cash Now, which he bred with his father Dale. He hopes to follow in his father’s footsteps and become a winning driver.

“I’ve had the urge to race my whole life,” said Tucker, who works for a company that manufactures parts for the aerospace industry. “It’s all I really ever wanted to do. I was in it for a while; I was jogging and training with my father when I was 18, early 20s. I stopped for a while. Once we got this one, Cash Now, I decided I had to do this. I had to do this before I get any older.”

Tucker would like to work with the horses — particularly drive — on a fulltime basis.

“I told my dad and my family, it depends how good I am,” Tucker said. “If I have it, I’ll do it. If I don’t have it, I’ll back off gracefully. To be honest, I really want to catch drive. That’s my goal. I’ve got to start somewhere. Hopefully I can do some qualifying at the fairs and if I do well, step it up.”

Another participant with family roots in the sport was 19-year-old Mark Shahan Jr., from Hartley, Del. Shahan’s father, grandfather, aunt and uncles have been involved in harness racing and Shahan said he has been around horses since he could walk.

But why walk when you can drive?

“I’d like to try to become a professional driver one day,” Shahan said. “I really enjoyed working in the barn, learning different stuff, learning different equipment, and seeing how horses go.

“It was fun. I probably learned more in three days than I had in five years.”