What kind of car do you drive? Toyota Tacoma. Favorite dinner meal? Snack? Eggplant Parmigiana; Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwich. What is your favorite track to race at? Always been Saratoga. It’s my hometown. Half the people over the fence I recognize their faces. It’s a beautiful place to race. What is your favorite event in racing? I love watching the Hambletonian. I remember watching it as a kid and it just great. How often is racing on your mind? When I’m racing, all the time. When we are off, I completely let it go. What is your favorite thing to do outside of racing? Play golf. What is your favorite sport to watch? Team? Golf – I hate to say it, but I’m still a Tiger Woods guy. What is one thing about you most fans/bettors don’t know? I’m basically a quiet person. What is one word that describes harness racing for you? Exciting. How did you get started in the sport? My father had a stable and he drove too. I see many Coppola’s have been in the sport. How many are from your family? My father and uncle. You probably see my brother’s name on there but he never got into the business. he just qualified a few horses when he was a kid. What is the best advice you’ve ever gotten about harness racing? Watch other horsemen closely and learn. What was your favorite moment in harness racing? Winning with a horse I trained named Sunset Blue who won the Pepsi Series here at Saratoga. That was in the late ‘70’s or early ‘80’s. The final was for $40,000 and that was a lot of money back then. I was friends with the partners and it was a special moment for all of us. Which is the best horse you’ve ever driven? I have two in mind but I’ll go with Artful Way. The horse never let you down and did anything I asked of him. Is it true that despite driving 5,969 winners you have a full-time job outside of the sport? Yes I did. I worked for the City of Saratoga Springs Department of Public Works. I was a foreman in the water utilities department. I retired two years ago. How did you manage having a full-time job and driving full-time? I just kept my head down and grinded it out. I enjoyed both, but I probably lost a lot of sleep during that time. It really helped that I liked both jobs. I heard a rumor that you are retiring from driving. Is that true? Yeah. I’m not going back this year. I would never say I will never drive another horse. It’s possible if a friend wanted me to drive a horse during the summer I would do it, but I’m not going to continue the full-time grind. What’s next in your life? I plan on playing a lot more golf during the summer. I turned our barn into a workshop, so I’m going to do some woodwork in there; we have five acres. My wife and I will have more time to do stuff. Did you accomplish what you wanted to in the sport? I did. You have the most wins in the history of Saratoga Raceway. What does that mean to you? It’s a real honor. I’m one of those people that show up early every night. I never turned down a drive, from the first race through the last race. I never missed nights. I just kept going. I think I had a good work ethic instilled in me at an early age. You have years (1995, 2005-2006 and 2011-2013) where you either didn’t drive or did so sparingly. Where were you? Those were times when working two jobs caught up with me a little bit. I would stop driving, but after taking some time off I missed it a little bit. Sometimes the double shift would catch up to me. What was the most interesting thing to happen to you on the track? Looking back, the day I won eight races on one card. If you had the power to change one thing in the sport, what would it be? I would love to see more people at the track again. I know it isn’t going to happen, but that would be my wish. There used to be a sea of people and I would love it. Do you have any ideas on how to recapture the people? No. It can’t be done. How do you view the future of harness racing? I think it could be a tough go because people have so many options now for entertainment and gambling. If you had one wish in life, what would you wish for? Just for more people to be content with their lives. Time for the stretch drive. What’s the first thing that comes to your mind? Best Horse Ever: Probably because I saw him when I was young, Niatross. Best Trainer Ever: I was always a Billy Haughton fan. Lasix – Yes or No?: No. Personally, I think the fewer drugs we use in the business the better off we are. Best place to eat in Saratoga: Mama Mia’s