By john manzi for NAADA
In
her first drive after recently receiving the National Amateur Driver of the
Year Award in south Florida “Hurricane
Hannah” Miller was back in the winner’s circle again after copping a division
of the NAADA Trotting Series with Warrawee Preferred at Monticello Raceway on
Thursday afternoon (March 10).
Ms.
Miller, the first woman to be named Amateur Driver of the Year, received her
award at the national Dan Patch Awards Banquet held in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. on
March 6, and she seems to be picking up where she left off last year when the
talented miss reined 32 winners.
In
a second split, Alan Schwartz with Bad I Am, and Dave Yarock up behind Mr.
Invincible, finished simultaneously to score the first dead-heat victory ever
recorded in recent amateur racing history.
Both
divisions were contested on a rainy afternoon over a race track rated ‘good’,
and both competitive splits were decided by the photo finish camera.
In
her division Miller used a second over trip with Warrawee Preferred to wear
down the favorite and pace-setter Nautilus De Vie (Dave Yarock) in the deep
stretch to score a head victory in a 2:01.3 clocking despite racing with an
unhooked check.
“It
(his overcheck) must have come unhooked somewhere in the mile and although he
was running in on the turns he kept at his work and we overtook Dave’s (Yarock)
trotter in the final strides to win it,” Miller said of Warrawee Preferred.
Rev
Up The Spice (Bob Kenny) and Bloomfieldcantifly (Monica Banca) finished third
and fourth respectively and both were in the win photo.
Owned
by Dr. Scott Woogen and trained by Gary Messenger, Warrawee Preferred paid
$9.20 for win. I
The
second split was a barn burner and it took the nudges five minutes to declare
the race a dead-heat. The third place finisher, Just Like Lloyd (Bob Kenney)
finished third a neck behind the winners and fourth place went to The B Street
Fan (Matt Zuccarello) a short length in the rears in the 2:03.2 trotted mile.
In
that contest Dave Yarock and Mr. Invincible grabbed the race track when the
gate sprung and parked Bad I Am (Alan
Schwartz) to the quarter before letting them take command.
“I
was going to let Dave retake but since Bob Hechkoff (Alternat Thursdays) was
also parked it never happened, “ Schwartz explained. “But with me on the engine
and Hechkoff parked it allowed Dave’s horse to have a perfect covered trip.”
When
the field trotted into the final turn Alternat Thursday was still third on the
limb and when they swung into the stretch and Hechkoff’s charge faded Yarock
aimed his trotter up the passing lane and he and Bad I Am finished
simultaneously on the wire. Bob Kenney and Just Like Lloyd were struggling for
racing room and they finished just a neck behind the top two. B Street Fan was in
the picture also, but a short length back in fourth place.
Bad
I Am, owned by Alan Schwartz and trained by Raheim Strong paid $5.10 for win.
Mr. Invincible, owned and trained by Jimmy Doherty, Jr. paid $7.60.
The
NADDASeries continues at Yonkers Raceway on Thursday, March 17.
