Larry Rivelli made Rambling Richie what he is today: a 2013 state champion.
Rambling Richie was sold over the winter, and the colt Rivelli not only trained, but also bred and owned in partnership now is trained by Patrick Byrne.
When last year’s champion 2-year-old male makes his first start for his new owners and trainer Saturday in Hawthorne Race Course’s $100,000-added Land of Lincoln Stakes for 3-year-old males, he will be pitted against two geldings trained, bred and co-owned by Rivelli.
While Rivelli’s two horses, Bangthedrumsallday and Rivzinthehouse, have run — and won — only one prior race, Rambling Richie has taken three straight since getting beat by a nose in his debut. His last two conquests came in other major Hawthorne races for Illinois-breds run in November and December.
“Both of them have been training unbelievably well,” Rivelli said. “I like Bangthedrumsallday a little bit more.”
Bangthedrumsallday had a brilliant workout Tuesday, breezing 3 furlongs in 34 seconds, and he decisively defeated fellow Illinois-breds on March 23 at Hawthorne. Rivzinthehouse’s only race was an impressive victory last June at Mountaineer Park.
The competition in Saturday’s 6-furlong sprint figures to be keen. Although Easy Solution was no match for Rambling Richie in November, he has won his last three races at the Fair Grounds and Hawthorne by an average margin of nearly 7 lengths.
Rivelli also is impressed with the two other entrants: trainer Tom Swearingen’s I Got It All and Solar Flair, the 2013 Illinois-bred reserve champion 2-year-old male trained by Rivelli’s uncle, Jimmy DiVito.
“Swearingen’s horse is supposed to be pretty nice,” Rivelli said. “My uncle’s horse tailed off last fall, but I’ve watched him on the track and see he’s training quite well. There’s a ton of speed in the race — my uncle’s horse might come from last and beat us all.”
The Land of Lincoln is one of four $100,000-added stakes races for Illinois-breds at Hawthorne on Saturday. There’s also the 6-furlong Pretty Jenny for 3-year-old fillies, the 1 1/16-mile Peach of It Handicap for older fillies and mares and the 1 1/16-mile Milwaukee Avenue Handicap for older males.
Rivelli will try to win the Pretty Jenny with Richie’s Sweetheart, the 2013 reserve champion 2-year-old filly, and the Peach of It with Sydneyrella, a 4-year-old who has given a good account of herself in open company races.
“All four horses I’m running couldn’t be training any better,” he said. “There are no question marks in my mind.
“Richie’s Sweetheart has come back from a break better than she went into it. She’s probably a workout or two short of what I want, but it shouldn’t make a difference. She can win.
“Throw out Sydneyrella’s last race (a 401/2-length loss in April at Hawthorne). She had an excuse, a malfunction with her equipment, nothing physical. And she loves Hawthorne.”
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