By john manzi for NAADA
Hannah
Miller, the 23-year old miss who has been the scourge of the amateur ranks,
added yet another victory to her fledgling resume when she guided Rev It
Now to a come from behind 2:01.4 triumph in the seventh leg of the North
American Amateur Drivers Series held at Freehold Raceway on Saturday, April 25.
And that accomplishment came on the heels of her win in the final event in the
USA-French Friendship Competition the night before at the Meadowlands which
vaulted the American team to victory over the French squad.
Like
she has done in all of her races, the daughter of top trainer Erv Miller, again
remained undaunted while competing against her male counterparts.
In
Freehold’s third race on the betting card Hannah started slowly with her
trotter and got away sixth at the first stanza, some 12 lengths behind of
the early speed duel between Blazing Delores (Jim Marshall IV) and Wygant
Prince (Paul Minore). After the :28.3 first quarter Miller waited until the
field headed for the halfway point before moving he trotter off the pylons.
Still
sixth at the half, but now nine lengths behind Wygant Prince’s lead, Miller
began to urge her trotter up the backside and at the three quarters the crowd
could anticipate what was going to happen. On the final turn Rev It Now circled
the leaders and took command in the homestretch and trotted away to a solid
one-length victory over a fast closing 36-1 shot, Bellagio Hanover, driven by
Steve Oldford. Wygant Prince held on for the show dough.
The
winner is owned by her driver, her dad Erv Miller, and her boyfriend, Nick
Surick who is also the horse’s trainer. Rev It Now paid $5.80 for win.
With
her victory Ms. Miller is tops in points in the NAADA trotting series. With
just two legs remaining her 59 points is seven better than Alan Schwartz’s 52.
Rounding out the top five are;Bob Hechkoff (40),Tony Verruso (35) and Paul
Minore (22).
It’s
just a shame that the mainstream media doesn’t pick up this story of a young
woman defeating her male colleges in a sport completely dominated by men. Her
triumph at Freehold was her seventh in 22 starts this season and the talented
lady has been first or second twelve times driving along with a .460 average.
