for 2010 Summer Meets
By Susanne Reardon
The man, the mood and the banter are light and lively, and so is
my chat with trainer Larry Rivelli. All for good reasons, too.
With a 25 percent win percentage in 2009 after running at 13 tracks from Gulfstream Park to Woodbine and beyond, and a “hit” television commercial airing on HRTV since Derby Day, Larry is in true form!
It seems like everyone in the racing world has viewed his TV spot produced in a “hip” format by Joe Kristufek. It features backstretch testimonials from horse people Wesley Ward, Wayne Catalano, Lenny Pike, Tom Morgan, E.T. Baird, Dennis Cooper, and Richard Ravin. Results are positive. In fact, Rivelli said that “three horses are due to arrive any minute now.”
Like a fine thoroughbred, Rivelli has followed true to his bloodlines, as his grandfather is racing great Pete DiVito, and his uncle is trainer James P. DiVito. After leading the state of Illinois in rushing yards as a senior at Crystal Lake (Ill.) South High School, Larry was offered a full scholarship to play football at the University of Minnesota where he played wide receiver and returned kicks.
Rivelli pursued the NFL after college and with interest from several pro teams, he attended training camps. “I didn’t make it into the NFL,” explained Rivelli. “I got hurt.” The family business crooked its finger, and he headed to the racetrack. In 1999, after six months under the guidance of James P. DiVito, Rivelli hung his own shingle as trainer and went to work with four horses, two owned by his father-in-law.
The first winner for the new trainer was at
Prairie Meadows with Pure & Simple, a claim from Jim DiVito. In the
eleven years since, Rivelli has achieved much, with a training
career highlight win in the 2008 Grade III Hawthorne Derby with
Irish import Strait of Mewsina.
Now, Rivelli’s stable and star have rocketed. He lists long-term involvements with several owners, including Jim and Debbie Pedi, Craig Bargowski, and a new addition to the shedrow, Paul Finke from downstate Illinois. He trains horses owned by Dare to Dream Stable, former owners of champion turf sprinter Nicole’s Dream, who won over $800,000 in her career and prevailed in 24 out of 53 starts. Rivelli also trains for Richard Ravin, owner of Richiegirlgonewild, who captured the Grade III Old Hat Stakes at Gulfstream Park last January.
When asked about Ravin, the trainer smiled and said, “The man has a serious passion for horses! He’s a great friend, a good loser, and he’s not afraid of whatever it takes for his horses to win.” Undaunted indeed, as Ravin has 24 horses with Rivelli.
One of the best of Ravin’s lot is Yesnabay, a 3-year-old gelding for which the owner and Rivelli have high expectations. The son of Grand Slam has shown flashes of brilliance, but has yet to hit his potential stride. Yesnabay was purchased in 2009 by Ravin and broke his maiden in a six furlong race in his second start at Ayr in Scotland, winning by seven lengths. He was then brought here to resume his career.
Rivelli told David Zenner of Arlington Park in a recent interview, “We bought him last year. He broke his maiden in Scotland. We went to Scotland and vetted him out. He ran a (97) Timeform number.” While Rivelli said that Yesnabay didn’t acclimate real well at first, now he’s training seriously, and the connections are hopeful that the bay will do the job for them.
One of Rivelli’s success stories is Helicopter, a horse he claimed last July at Arlington Park for $10,000. A 4-year-old Florida-bred gelding (Three Wonders — Heaven’s Run), Helicopter has been nothing short of sensational under Rivelli’s charge. He’s raced 10 times for the trainer winning eight times with a third place and a fourth place finish.
He’s won races at Arlington Park, Hawthorne, Keeneland and Woodbine and also raced at Mountaineer. What’s more, he set the track records at the 1-1/4 mile distance at Keeneland in 2:02.95, and at Woodbine in 2:03.51 in a $70,000 allowance both under the guidance of his regular rider, Brandon Meier.
Just about this time into the interview, from under his desk, out comes a large, and a bit dusty, nylon case. “Check this out,” said Rivelli. “It just arrived back here from Florida. It’s my ‘laser’ (used for laser therapy). I only use the best on my horses. They all get Clenbuterol and Adequan, I use the hyperbaric chamber, acupuncture, the Chinese herbs for bleeders allergic to Lasix; whatever it takes to make them to feel good and be healthy, they get it here. I don‘t cut any corners. Everyone knows that.”
So what else contributes to Rivelli’s success? “I try to stay true to what each horse is … turf, sprint, router, whatever his condition preference… and don’t ever attempt to turn them into a different animal,” he said. Likening horses to athletes on a football team, he closely watches his charges train and run, spots them where he feels they belong, and makes adjustments according to results.
Never one afraid to ship, Rivelli keeps a library of condition books handy for tracks ranging from Woodbine to Mountaineer, Gulfstream Park and those in-between. He enters wherever the race condition suits a horse. “As far as I’m concerned, they’re ready to go when they get on the van, and it’s important to me that the horse runs in a good spot. Hopefully, they win, because horses like the winner's circle,” he said.
“Across the road from Mountaineer Park, for example, I own a small farm and training center, and that’s why I send horses to run there frequently. The farm has a swimming pool, and win or lose, they enjoy the trip,” said Rivelli. “I’ve had a lot of success there.”
Major components of every race are jockeys, who are a key to
Rivelli’s racing strategy. A long-time affiliation with E.T. Baird
has resulted in prominent wins, and other jocks Rivelli leans
toward, include Timmy Thornton, who rode Richiegirlgonewild in the
Old Hat. He also favors Jerry LaSala, and intends to make use of
newcomer Jozbin Z. Santana (‘JZ man, I love him!’).
Rivelli’s stable is full of talent, his owners optimistic. Fully invested in the Illinois breeding program with 30 state-bred yearlings and weanlings, and 20 2-year-olds in training, and with fingers crossed for a favorable decision on bigger purses via new gaming proposals debated in the Illinois legislature, Team Rivelli sits chilly, locked and loaded for the 2010 Arlington Park and other summer meets. They are a savvy group, and have every chance of reaching the winner's circle.
Like he did as a college football player
catching passes, or running back kick-offs, Larry Rivelli will
continue to do whatever it takes to find the end zone, and to stay a
major player in the present and future of Midwest racing. 