by john manzi for NAADA
Hannah
Miller and Rev It Now teamed-up again this time winning the $14,000 Final of
the North American Amateur Drivers Association’s Trotting Series at Yonkers
Raceway on Thursday, May 14.
Once
again Miler sat cool and collective while trailing the leaders until the final
turn where she revved-up Rev It Now and the veteran Revenue S gelding rallied
for a 2:01.3 victory winning by a head over Wygant Prince and driver Paul
Minore. One-half farther length back in third place was Tony Verusso with
Flirting Duezy.
It
marked the sixth time that Miller had reined Rev It Now to victory in the NAADA
Series and for the hot-handed lady she now has 11 wins, 6 seconds and one third
in 28 seasonal starts which equates to a .524 UDR.
As
he has done in the majority of his races lately Rev It Now started slowly from
post four and was next to last at the quarter where pace-setter Tagmaster (Bob
Hechkoff) tripped the timer in :29.4 despite being challenged from command by
Starsaboveallerage (Steve Oldford).
But
Oldford wasn’t alone on the limb. Trailing him was Bad I Am (Alan Schwartz) while
Minore was snuggled in along the pylons in second position behind the leader,
Tagmaster.
When
the field headed toward the first quarter Miller moved Rev It Now out
third-over and sat comfortably following those in front of her.
“With
two tiers of horses in front of me I decided that I better move out third-over
so not to get boxed in later in the mile,” Miller said.
Up
the backside Schwartz moved three-deep and the field bunched-up heading into
the final turn. It was there that Miller got after her trotter and she moved
him to the far outside on the turn and when they straightened for home Rev It
Up was ‘flying’ on the far outside.
Still
some three lengths behind at the top of the lane Miller hustled Rev It Now and
they passed the leaders and rallied for a neck victory over Wygant Prince, who
never saw daylight until mid-stretch.
“He’s
a grinder and we went a long mile but we had cover all the way,” Miller
said referring to her journey with Rev It Now. “On the final turn I got
him fired up and he was the strong horse in the deep stretch. He’s a classy ole
guy who knows when he's heading for home. We really get along good together.”
The
winner is co-owned by her driver, her dad Erv Miller and her proud boyfriend,
Nick Surick, who doubles as the horse’s trainer.
Although
he didn’t have a mount in the series finale NAADA president Joe Faraldo was on
hand overseeing the final event and was pleased with the outcome and
complementary of Hannah Miller. “It was a real good race and an exciting one, too,
with just 2/5ths of a second separating the first five finishers.
All in all it was a good series.
“And
‘Hurricane Hannah’ stuck it to the boys again. She comes from a family of horse
people and she certainly knows her way around the race track. We’re really
going to need her when we host the amateurs from Spain in an international
competition in early June”
The
North American Amateur Drivers Association makes it their business to donate
money to worthwhile charities. Recently they made substantial donations to the
Juvenile Diabetes Foundation in 2013 and to the Susan B Komen Breast Cancer
Foundation last season.
