Tonight's seventh race at Batavia Downs Casino, the Open Trot, is named in honor of a great lady that Western New York harness racing fans won’t soon forget. Live racing programs will feature a special insert highlighting some of Mary Ann Sarama-Luce’s harness racing career.
The Mary Ann Sarama-Luce Memorial Trot will be in recognition of a great mother, person, horseman and friend to so many in Western New York. She passed away in July after a long battle with leukemia. She was 73.
Mary Ann was introduced into the business when she met Danny Sarama in the late 1960s. From that point, she and Danny teamed up to own the successful Mardan stable, that included the pacer You Devil You, who won 10 races in a row in 1976.
In the early 1980s, after separating from Danny, she continued on as both a trainer and a driver. Her best year as a driver came in 1983 when she won 21 races. Throughout her driving career she won 109 races. In 1990 she turned the lines over to her son, Carl Surdyk.
On the training side, she conditioned 107 winners, including four this year. Her purse earnings exceeded $334,000. Some of the top horses she trained included Gold Bandit N, Top Dog Alex, Top Dog Nicholas, Easy L-Bar and Guy-Lee Debbie.
Harness racing was her number-one priority and passion,” her daughter Lynette Mcgiveron said. “Her horses were the driving force behind her battle to recover. Even in her final days she worried more about her horses then herself."
"A fierce competitor both as a trainer and a driver,” was the best way Bruce Tubin, president of the Western New York Harness Horsemen's Association, described Mary Ann. “I have fond memories competing against and working with her. She’ll be missed by all."
