The American Harness Drivers Club, Inc.
Bernie Boland, President
84 Cherry Tree Farm Road
Middletown, NJ 07748
(614) 778-8585 * (732) 671-4632
Email: bbolandstable@aol.com
AHDC Office: PB2Hands@hotmail.com
Member of the USTA Standardbred Driving Clubs

2008 Membership Application

Video Archives on YouTube.com

2007 Spring Pacing Series
2007 Fall Pacing Series

Copyright © 1997, 2008 American Harness Drivers Club, Inc.
Maintained online by Dave Krepow: krepow016@verizon.net
Comments?? Got Something to say??...Check out our new Blog Site!

Last update: July 13, 2008

Yarock, an amateur driver and recent winner of the American Harness Drivers Club’s 2008 Spring Pacing Series final has created the fund, named in honor of his father and late father-in-law, as a means for giving back to the sport of harness racing.

These scholarships will be available to those pursuing higher education related to the harness racing industry as well as those currently employed in the business, along with their family members. It is Yarock’s intent to build this program into the largest scholarship fund available to the industry.

Yarock hopes to have the funds available for September or January. To that end, he will be hosting a Client Appreciation Night/Fundraiser on July 30 at The Meadowlands Paddock Park on a night where he will also be participating in a leg of the Billings Amateur Trotting series.

For more information, contact Mr. Yarock at (201) 567-7957 or e-mail dyarock@aol.com.

A financial and estate planning specialist and co-president of Financial Access Network by profession, Yarock was entering only his second series final. However, the resident of Tenafly, New Jersey was brimming with confidence as he recently closed out the preliminary portion of the spring series with a resounding victory at Freehold Raceway.

He had the seven-year-old daughter of Keystone Raider sitting patiently in fourth behind pacesetters, Neil Goldstein and Squeekmunn on the engine, Tony Piserchia racing on the outside with Cambar and Phil Winkler just ahead with Jingling as the field was entering the far turn.  Suddenly, Winkler made a daring move through what seemed to be only a tiny opening between Piserchia and Goldstein to take over the lead. Yarock and Shania Twain followed right on his heels.

Turning for home, Winkler was first into the lane as Squeekmunn and Cambar were calling it a night. Try as they might, Winker and Jingling could not hold Yarock off for very long as Shania Twain found another gear.  Yarock first drew even, then beyond and was threatening to pull away.  However, the defending 2007 fall series champion Carmen Ciccone had Heezaclown rolling out from fifth to join the fray with Don Hicks and Sand D’Laney shadowing in tandem.  

Down the stretch, Yarock, Ciccone, and Hicks were engaged in classic fight to the finish.  With time running out, Hicks had slipped just beyond Ciccone and was poised to take the crown right from Yarock’s grasp when, he ran out of real estate.  Yarock, racing like a seasoned veteran, brilliantly kept Hicks at arms length, getting to the wire first, just a horse’s neck in front to take the title, his first as a member of the American Harness Drivers Club.

Time of the mile over a fast Meadowlands racing surface was 1:58 after fractions of 27. 4, 57.1, and 1:27.2 through three quarters. Hicks and Sand D’Laney finished in second while Ciccone and Heezaclown took the show spot.  Winkler and Jingling finished fourth.  Rounding out the field were John Regina and Sylvains Friend in fifth, Bob Hechkoff and KD’s Power Shift finished sixth, Goldstein and Squeekmunn fell back to seventh as did Piserchia and Cambar who finished eighth. Dr. Sam Sbarra and West Point were ninth while Monica Thors and According To Hoyle broke before the start and were never in it, finishing tenth.

With the victory, Yarock also clinches the 2008 Spring Series Point championship, gathering 47 points to second place Ciccone’s 39.  However, Ciccone’s 8 points from the final was enough to give him the overall combined points title, awarded to the driver gaining the most series points after competing in the final, combined with total points attained in the 2007 Fall Pacing Series. He is now eligible to represent the AHDC in the annual Tim Fouts Memorial Amateur Driving Championship, traditionally held during Little Brown Jug week at the Delaware, Ohio Fairgrounds in September

After the presentation of the championship trophy by club president Bernie Boland in a jubilant winner’s circle celebration, Yarock knew he had been in a horse race when he offered, “It feels great, but it was really a tough fight.”  Yarock’s wife Laurie, who had joined him for the pictures, was also thrilled but not especially surprised as she stated “It’s so wonderful, especially since David’s only been driving for a little over a year.  But, he’s always been so competitive in everything from basketball, golf and everything else he’s been involved with,  it’s not surprising he picked it up so fast…and at 54 years old ...now, he’s the champion…it’s just great.”

The win marked the first victory for Yarock in this, his second season with the AHDC.  It also allowed him to exorcise a few demons brought on by a disastrous outcome in the series fourth leg where Shania Twain broke stride in the first turn, changing the traffic pattern.  While he was able to complete the race and finish third, he was duly rewarded by being unceremoniously taken down to fifth.

This time, the seven-year-old daughter of Keystone Raider behaved as Yarock eased her away from the gate, but were trapped on the outside by the early leaders, Dr. Sam Sbarra and Last Resort.  It was not until the field was nearing the half-mile mark that Yarock was able to clear beyond Sbarra to take the lead.

Once on the engine, the Financial and Estate planning specialist kicked Shania Twain into another gear as they zipped around the Freehold half-miler, opening up a sizable advantage on the pack. At the top of the stretch, it appeared that Yarock had matters well in hand, six lengths to the good.  However, South Salem, NY’s Carmen Ciccone and Leather, who picked their way into second after stalking from near the back of the bus, began to mount a furious attack.

With each stride, the once comfortable lead was melting away as Leather was firing on all cylinders from the outside. However, Ciccone ran out of time and real estate as the wire came not a second too soon for Yarock as he and Shania Twain passed underneath a short length in front to take the victory.  Time of the mile was 1:59.3, after fractions of 28.3, 58, and 1:28.4 over a fast racing surface. 

Neil Goldstein also came on late to take the show spot with Poker Oak while Tony Piserchia finished fourth with Cambar.  Phil Winker was fifth with Jingling; John Regina was sixth with Sylvains Friend; Doc Sbarra and Last Resort fell back to finish seventh while Israel Galarza and West Point round out the field.

When asked his feelings about winning his first race with the AHDC, Yarock humbly reflected, “This was such an incredible experience, especially given that it comes on the heels of such a poor performance in leg four. He then added, “It’s especially gratifying that it is the culmination of a lot of effort and learning just to get here. Things just fell my way. I have to give Shania Twain a lot of the credit as well.”

The top-ten point earning drivers from the regular season series will now move on to The Meadowlands as the AHDC will present the 2008 Spring Pacing Series Final to be contested on Thursday, June 5, 2008, for an estimated purse of $5, 000.  

In the first division, Goldstein and Golden Boy sat quietly in the rear of the pack through the three quarter marker.  They watched with great interest as John Regina with Sylvains Friend and Miguel Lopez behind Squeakmunn were slugging it out on the front end. Almost from the get-go, these two raced in tandem as Regina was determined to hold position on the pylons while keeping Lopez parked on the outside. 

As the race was entering its final panel, the East Brunswick, NJ resident suddenly roused Golden Boy (no relation) and got him into the game. In just a few strides, they were making up real estate on the leaders. At the top of the lane, they had slid into striking distance, second over.

Fanning into the stretch, Goldstein and the nine-year-old Presidential Ball gelding spun into the center of the racetrack to engage the leaders, while Lake Hiawatha, NJ’s Tony Piserchia was making a bid from the passing lane with Cambar. Both Sylvains Friend and Squeakmunn tried valiantly to hold on, but the earlier theatrics had taken its toll.  Goldstein visibly had plenty of horse left as he easily sailed beyond Regina, then Lopez, getting to the wire a length to the good, notching his first victory of the series. 

After the race, Goldstein explained his winning strategy by revealing, “Golden Boy is a little lazy and it took me a while to get him going.”  He then added, “There is no feeling in the world like coming down the stretch and seeing no one in front of you.”

Lopez and Squeakmunn held on for second while Piserchia and Cambar took the show money.  Monica Thors and her According to Hoyle were fourth.  A very tired Sylvains Friend and John Regina fell back and finished fifth. Time of the mile was 2:02.3 after earlier fractions of 28.3, 59.1 and 1:30.4 over a fast Freehold oval.

In the second heat, Manhattan, NY resident Bob Hechkoff exploded away from the gate with KD’s Power Shift, took early command and was never headed en-route to a wire-to-wire score.

After stealing a sizeable advantage in a chaotic opening quarter, Hechkoff slowed the pace to a crawl with the eight-year-old gelded son of Katorzheniki.  The 31 flat first-quarter fraction and the 1:04.1 second panel clocking allowed West Babylon, NY’s Don Hicks and Sand D’Laney to close the gap and stay in the race.

These two raced a length apart down the backstretch, through the 1:34.2 three quarter mark, around the far turn and into the stretch.  New Jersey Chiropractor “Doc” Sam Sbarra, making his 2008 debut with Sweet Anticipation and David Yarock and Shania Twain were also taking up the chase another two lengths in arrears.

In a classic battle, Hechkoff and Hicks battled toe-to-toe through the stretch.  However, it was Hechkoff and KD’s Power Shift gamely holding on to their lead They got to the wire a length in front to take the win, their first of the series.  Hicks and Sand D’Laney finished second.  Yarock finished third with Shania Twain but due to a traffic trouble in the first turn, was set back to fifth.  Sbarra and Sweet Anticipation were then placed third to take the show dough while Israel Galarza followed along and placed fourth with West Point.  The Freehold track record was never threatened, as the timer stopped at 2:05.1.

The American Harness Drivers Club returns to action at Freehold Raceway with the fifth leg of the Spring Pacing Series on Saturday, May 24 to close out the regular portion of the schedule. The top ten point earning drivers from the series will then move on to the Meadowlands to compete in the Spring Series Final to be held during the first week of June.  Date TBA.

South Salem, New York’s Carmen Ciccone, teaming with the Ned Urbanski-trained Heezaclown, wasted little time in proving that their victory in the series second leg was indeed, no fluke.  They easily overtook early leaders, Lake Hiawatha, New Jersey’s Tony Piserchia and Cambar, as the parade was nearing the quarter pole.  Then, in a matter of a just few powerful strides, they were pacing away from the field. 

Piserchia, along with Bob Hechkoff, steering KD’s Powershift and John Regina with Sylvains Friend, tried valiantly to keep pace with the locomotive pulling the field around the Central Jersey half-miler.  Nevertheless, Ciccone never let up on the gas and Heezaclown eagerly obliged as they marched around the course, setting fractions of 29.3, 59.3 and 1:29.2 to the three quarter mark

As they zipped around the final turn and sailed into the stretch, Ciccone had the stick conspicuously under wraps as he let the six-year-old gelded son of Grandslam Cam take a few bows.  They waltzed under the wire, ten lengths in front of Bob Hechkoff and KD’s Powershift for their second series win in as many starts, stopping the raceway teletimer at 2:00 flat.  

West Babylon, New York’s Don Hicks and Sand D’Laney came on late to take the show dough while Bedminster’s John Regina and Sylvains Friend hung in to finish fourth.  Rounding out the field were Phil Winkler with Jingling, Piserchia and Cambar, Monica Thors with According To Hoyle and Israel Galarza with his own West Point.

Hoboken, New Jersey’s Israel Galarza opened the series with a bang…and a statement as he fired his own Devil’s Grin out from post one and stormed around the historic Central New Jersey half-miler. Nearing the three-quarter mark, Galarza and the 4-year-old gelded son of Grinfromeartoear had nearly lost contact with the field until Tenafly, New Jersey Investment Analyst Dave Yarock emerged from the pack, attempting a late rally with Shania Twain.

Turning for home, the now two-horse race saw Yarock pulling to even terms with Galarza. Unfortunately, the very brave effort just to catch the leaders had taken its toll, as Shania Twain had nothing left in the tank.  Galarza then urged Devil’s Grin into another gear.  They waltzed down the stretch and under the wire, one and one-quarter lengths to the good, stopping the timer at 2:01.4 after setting fractions of 28.1, 57.3 and 1:29.2.

For Galarza, it was his first trip to the Winner's Circle in this his fifth season of competition with the AHDC. Yarock and Shania Twain held on for second while Phil Winkler and Jingling recovered nicely from an early break and finished third.

After an absence of nearly 8 years, Lake Hiawatha's Tony Piserchia showed little rust as he returned to the AHDC wars, finishing fourth after a solid effort with Cambar. Rounding out the field was Don Hicks with Sand D’Laney, Neil Goldstein steering Emissary N, John Regina teaming with Sylvains Friend and Monica Thors handling her own According to Hoyle.

LEG II
APRIL 12, 2008