Crevani taking a shot with Bullville Powerful in Berry's Creek

May 08, 2008

For decades, Stephen Crevani balanced a demanding career as a high-rise builder with his interest in breeding and racing harness horses, and he'll be taking a shot at his biggest win ever in harness racing when his 3-year-old Bullville Powerful competes in the $215,000 Berry's Creek at the Meadowlands Saturday night.

Now that he is retired, the 66-year-old has been able to focus all of his attention on the horse business and is reaping greater rewards as a result. He bred, owns and trains Bullville Powerful, 7-2 second choice on the morning line after winning his elimination race last week in 1:50.4. He will start from post four with Yannick Gingras at the lines in the sixth race.

�I�m retired and spending more time with the horses, and I�m having more success,� said Crevani, whose business holdings also included a bank. �This is my life blood now. I was a workaholic when I was a builder. Now my wife says I�ll never get ulcers, I�ll just give them.�

Crevani has five horses in training and 12 broodmares at the family farm in Bullville, New York. All of his horses bear the �Bullville� moniker.

�To make it easy I named everything, even the dog, after the town,� he said. �I just sold three quarters of my farm to Golden Horseshoe Farms. I retained 30 acres in the back so I can have my own barn and lifetime use of the facilities. It has one of the best half-mile training tracks in the state.�

Crevani began breeding and racing horses in 1975 and his name has been a consistent presence in the Meadowlands program since the track opened the following year.

�My father had a few horses,� he noted. �When he got out of it, he left me one of his broodmares and that is what I do now. I breed and raise them, and almost never buy them.�

Several of Crevani�s yearlings have gone on to be significant earners on the racetrack. He sold Bullville Victory for $50,000 and the trotter went on to earn more than $750,000. PB Bullville paced a 1:48 world record as a 3-year-old in 2000. Bullvilleintherain won multiple stakes and $491,329. But Crevani believes his Berry�s Creek contender could be the most promising yet, which is why he has turned down multiple offers to buy the horse.

�I�ve had thousands of horses over the years and Bullville Powerful might be the best,� he said. �I�ve been offered half-a-million for him and four people have called me about him. He�s not for sale. I don�t need the money and I�m having too much fun.�

Bullville Powerful was first or second in six of his eight starts as a freshman. His biggest win was the $82,989 New York Sires Stakes Final on September 8, 2007 at Yonkers. It was also his final start of the season.

�The week before the New York Sires Stakes final, Bullville Powerful had a little tear in his suspensory, so I didn�t want to take a chance with him,� Crevani said.

Bullville Powerful made his 3-year-old debut in the Robert J. Suslow Series at the Meadowlands. After finishing fourth in his first start off the layoff, he narrowly missed catching Idle Hour at the wire in the $68,900 final on April 19.

�He�s come back as a 3-year old like a monster,� he said. �I mean, he�s no Somebeachsomewhere [2007 2-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year], but he�s right up there with the rest of them. I thought for sure he was going to win the Suslow final, but that was only his second race back and he was a little short.�

In his next start, Bullville Powerful finished sixth in the 3-year-old open, but Crevani was not worried.

�He tried to stay behind one of the favorites and got shuffled back off a slow quarter of :28.2,� he said. �He was outside the whole mile and just never got involved.�

Bullville Powerful put on a commanding front-end performance to win his Berry�s Creek elimination last week in 1:50.4. Driven by Yannick Gingras, he paid $16 as he picked up his first win in four starts this season.

�His elimination last week was pretty impressive,� Crevani said. �Yannick said he could have won by a lot more. He had a tight rein on him at the wire.�

After the Berry�s Creek, the colt will head back to New York for the Empire Breeders Classic at Tioga.

�Depending on how he progresses I might supplement him to some of the big races,� he said.

Crevani�s wife, Carole, and many of their five children and 14 grandchildren will join him at the Meadowlands to cheer on Bullville Powerful on Saturday night.

�It�s safe to say the Berry�s Creek would be my biggest win ever,� he said. �I�ll have about 20 people there.� (Meadowlands)

$215,000 Berry�s Creek
PP, Horse, Driver, Trainer, Odds
1, McCedes, Cat Manzi, Chris Ryder, 12-1
2, Mucho Sleazy, Andy Miller, Ken Rucker, 5-2
3, Art Official, Tyler Buter, Joe Seekman, 9-2
4, Bullville Powerful, Yannick Gingras, Stephen Crevani, 7-2
5, Pro Art, John Campbell, Mark Ford, 10-1
6, Beach Boy Toy, Eric Goodell, Ross Croghan, 15-1
7, McArdle Park, David Miller, Joe Holloway, 15-1
8, Four Starz Moxie, Tim Tetrick, Carmine Fusco, 10-1
9, Blueridge Western, Brian Sears, Mickey Burke, 5-1
10, Mercantileexchange, Daniel Dube, Larry Remmen, 15-1

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