Robert Vitrano (The Bullet)

(Bobby Vitrano winning in a tight race)

Bobby Vitrano.  Started racing at Roosevelt Raceway in 1970 and was still there on the day that it closed in 1988. He is noted for training and driving of such hard hitting horses such as Fantastic Dream (a claimer that was a fan favorite), Courage My Dear (an open pacing mare), Brisk Air (an open pacing horse and a Grand Circuit Horse), and Southern Style, who in 1984 won the Hanover Shoe Stakes at Vernon Downs. Southern Style went on to win many more races during her career. As a catch driver, Bobby had driven some other fan favorites, including Super Louie, Penman, Say No More, Kreizers Daddy, and many others, for some of the top trainers.

In an interview once, Bobby said, that he feels very lucky that he became a trainer-driver, being that he comes from Greenwich Village NYC, with no connection to the harness racing industry what-so-ever.

He first got interested in harness racing when his father would take him and his two brothers to Yonkers and Roosevelt to play the trotters, while the kids waited in the car, (he was about 10 years old). At that time he would race along the back stretch on foot with the horses racing down the back side. One day he told his dad that one day he would be driving horses and he (his dad)could bet on him! Dad said, "Well of course, he said, "Yeah sure".

At the age of 18, he was able to get into the barn area at RR and he met Duke Mayo, the owner of a horse called Black On, and  his trainer Pete Schultz and her driver Billy Hudson, from whom he would learn his trade. When Bobby started driving his father was very proud of him. The best horse he trained and drove was Southern Style, although his favorite horse was Prince Mac. Bobby still holds  the Meadowland's record for the highest place payoff ever $155.60 with a horse named Vested Hunter, who by the way came back the following week to win paying $27.80.

Bobby has driven at just about every racetrack in North America, but feels that none of them come close to Roosevelt raceway where you could hear Jack E. Lee, say, "and hear comes Prince Mac and Bullet Bobby Vitrano swinging three wide down the back stretch to take the lead". Bobby feels that the 1960's, 1970's, and 1980's were the best times in harness racing history, best trainers, drivers, and owners, and Roosevelt Raceway was the place to be.

(Dead Heat)