by
john manzi for NAADA
Alan
Schwartz and Hannah Miller emerged victorious in their respective divisions in
the next to the last leg of the trotting series sponsored by the North American
Amateur drivers Association held at Monticello Raceway on Thursday afternoon,
May 30. For Miller it was her fifth driving victory in the series and
Schwartz’s fourth.
Schwartz,
a Mighty M regular and a former USHWA National Amateur Driver of the Year, won
the first division with his own Bad I Am in a time of 2:02.1 while Miller, the
scourge of the amateur ranks this year, scored behind Casanova Lindy in a 2:01
clocking.
In
his split Schwartz was forced to make and early move when the field jammed-up
heading to the quarter pole.
Bad
I Am was just that as far as the race leader Bob Hechoff was concerned.
Hechkoff’s charge, Tagmaster had grabbed a quick early lead when the gate
sprung but a :30.2 first stanza tightened the field as they trotted
toward the quarter pole.
“I
was getting run over from behind so I had to move way before I wanted to,”
Schwartz said after he moved his trotter first-up as the field headed for the
second turn. “I knew it was real early but if I didn’t move I might have pulled
him off his feet.”
Tagmaster
and Bad I Am then raced side by side toward the halfway point and were still
heads apart as they trotted by the third stanza.
Tagmaster
was still in command as the field headed for home but he began to tire as a
quartet of trotters from the rears began serious challenges as the field headed
for paydirt.
Surprisingly,
even to Schwartz, after being on the limb for nearly three quarters of a mile
Bad I Am refused to give it up and refused to lose as the 4-year old altered
son of Prayer I Am staved off all comers to win by a head over
Starsaboveallerage, driven by Steve Oldford. Third place went to Samsawinner
and driver Joe Lee.
The
winner, owned by Schwartz and trained Raheem Strong, paid $5.60 for win.
After
having road trouble with Rev It Now in that race--he finished sixth-- Hannah
Miller made amends in the second split winning decisively from the eight-hole
with Casanova Lindy in a time of 2:01.
“Before
we claimed him (Casanova Lindy) I saw him cut a mile at Freehold and win
easily, so I decided I’d send him to the front and avoid any traffic like I had
in the last race with Rev It Now,” she explained. “He left (the mobile gate) so
fast that we were on top before the (first) turn and I just let him cruise.
I
was surprised when we passed the quarter in :28.3 because he was trotting so
easily. So I just took a steady hold on him and he just did the rest.”
Dave
Yarock kept Rompaway Alan on Miller’s back as the two raced lengths in front of
the field as they passed the halfway point. They were still one-two by the
three quarters but at that point Casanova Lindy began to open daylight and the
farther he trotted the move he opened daylight between him and Rompaway Alan.
As
Miller’s charge headed for home he had three lengths on his competition and at
the wire it was opened to six lengths. But in the deep stretch driver Tony
Verusso rallied Pocket Passer by a tiring Rompaway Alvin to finish second as
Yarock’s trotter faded and finished third.
Casanova
Lindy, co-owned by his driver, her boyfriend Nick Surick, and her dad Erv
Miller, returned a $5.30 win mutuel.
The
final leg of the NAADA Trotting Series will be contested at Yonkers Raceway on
May 7th.
