By John Manzi for NAADA
Hannah
Miler is in a roll. The 23- year- old daughter of top trainer Erv Miller is
showing the racing world that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and she
is making a name for herself in a sport dominated by men.
On
the wet and dreary Thursday (April 9) afternoon in New York’s southern Catskill
Mountains, Miller reined Rev It Now to a 2:02 triumph over a soggy racetrack in
the fifth leg of the North American Amateur Driver Trotting Series which was
held at Monticello Raceway.
It
was the second consecutive NAADA victory for the Miller-Rev It Now connection
after they scored a 2:01.1 triumph at Freehold Raceway on April 5. And it
was the third consecutive triumph for Ms. Miller having been victorious
with Jacks To Open in an amateur contest at the Meadowlands on April 3.
Undeterred
against a field of all male drivers on Thursday afternoon at Monticello Miller
and Rev It Now started from the five-hole and left to find a spot along
the pylons on the first turn .They settled in fifth position as Bob
Hechkoff and Tagmaster scooted to the lead from the five hole as the wings of
the mobile gate folded.
Alan
Schwartz, with betting favorite Bad I Am from post two, was content to be in
the cat-birds seat from the get-go and watched as Hechkoff parked-out
Swift Blizzard (Bob Davis) and refused to let him go. Joseph Lee, after
reining a 183.00 winner earlier on the card, held fourth place with Miss
Directed.
The
field was still in that line-up as they passed the half at which point Miller
moved Rev It Now to the outside and up moved closer to Swift Blizzard who was
getting lots of fresh air on the limb.
Miller got Rev it Now
revved-up as the field trotted toward the third stanza and she kept
her trotter in high gear as they went three-deep around Swift Blizzard before
she moved down alongside Hechkoff and Tagmaster on the final turn which posed a
real problem for Alan Schwartz and Bad I Am.
“Early
on I thought I was going to have the best of it with a 2-hole trip but when Bob
Davis’ trotter didn’t tire and Hannah went three deep around the horses in
front of her, I never saw daylight until the passing lane appeared,” Schwartz
said after the race.
In
the lane Rev It Now was still wide-open and he. carried Miller to a one and one
quarter length victory. Schwartz and Bad I Am used the passing lane but
the heavy going on the inside of the racetrack caused by the rainy
afternoon hindered Bad I Am in the deep stretch and they had to settle
for second money. Tony Verruso came from far back with Flirting Duezy to finish
third. Tagmaster faded to fourth.
“When
I Moved Rev It Now three wide up the backside I didn’t want cover at that point
and I just let him ramble,” Miller said. “We never cleared Tagmaster until we
straightened for home but when we did my horse got brave, kept at his business
and we were easy winners.
“He’s
a nice horse and even at 9 years old he’s still go it.”
Miller
co-owns the winner with her dad Erv Miller and her boyfriend, Nick Surick. Rev
It Now paid $7.00 for win.
It
seems that Hannah Miller is peaking at the right time because she will be
needed when the North American Amateur Drivers Association hosts a contingent
of talented French Amateur drivers during the week of April 21.
The
French contingent will be led by the talented lady driver Sophie Blanchetiere,
who is the reigning amateur champion in France and winner of more than 250
races.
.
Being
among the drivers that NAADA will be counting on in the US-France competition
Miller was asked if she will be intimidated by Sophie Blanchetiere’s prowess
when they go head to head.
Miller
just smiled and said “Bring on Sophie!”
Races
in the U.S.- French Amateur Competition will be at Yonkers (April 21), Monticello
(April 22), Freehold(April 23) and at the Meadowlands on April 24.
