Hannah
Miller and Bob Hechkoff each won their respective divisions in two NAADA
Trotting events at Monticello Raceway on Thursday afternoon, May 21. Hannah
scored behind Pembroke Snapshot in 2:00.4 while Hechkoff was victorious with
Saint Patty’s Doll in a 2:01.4 clocking.
In
their split hot-handed Hannah gunned Pembroke Snapshot for the lead from the
eight-hole but had to settle in the cat-bird seat behind Dave Yarock who got
away quicker with Nautilus De Vie.
When
they passed the first stanza Nautilus De Vie tripped the timer at :28.4
and from there Yarock and Miller raced one- two until they headed for home.
In
the stretch Pembroke Snapshot proved to be the stronger horse and he trotted on
to a one- length triumph over Nautilus De Vie. Peter Gerry finished third with
Candid Man.
“When
we rounded the final turn I was ready to use the passing lane but my horse
drifted out so I let him and when we straightened for home I was confident that
we would be the best,” Miller said.
As
the trotters navigated through the lane Miller sat calmly as Pembroke Snapshot
overtook the leader to scored his third seasonal triumph.
Asked
why she sat relatively still in the sulky Miller quickly replied;” He (Pembroke
Snapshot) doesn’t like to be hit with the whip and he gives all he has without
it.”
Owned
by the Nick Surick Stable and the JL Benson Stable, the winner returned a $3.40
win mutuel.
In
the other division Hechkoff used the front end route to notch a head victory
with Saint Patty’s Doll holding off a hard charging Samswinner, driven by
Joseph Lee, for a neck triumph. Confronted by road trouble throughout the mile
Hannah Miller finished third with Rev It Now.
In
a rare occasion in an amateur race the winner was claimed for $18,000 by the
Rob Harmon Stable.
However,
Hechkoff remained philosophical after losing his mare.
“I
was looking for a trotter to race in the amateur races and bought her at
Pompano Park a few weeks ago,” he said. “I hated to lose her so quickly but
that’s the game. You know there’s a lot of guys buying horses for the amateur
races and we help fill races on the betting cards of the tracks at which we
race.”
Hechkoff’s
RHB Ventures was the owner of record and Kyle Spagnola was the mare’s trainer.
She paid $4.40 for win.
An
amateur race from the Catskill Amateur Club also graced the Mighty M’s Thursday
racing card.
Hannah
Miller and Rise Above It were the easy winners but a driving infraction caused
them to be placed out of the money. Minnesota Hanover, driven by Matt
Zuccarello, ended- up with first money in that pacing contest.
