Once
again Monticello Raceway afforded three races today--Thursday, June 30 -- for
the burgeoning amateur movement which has been helpful to the race secretaries
in their quest to present full race cards.
Two
amateur contests were in the North American Amateur Drivers Association’s
spring trotting series; the first won by
Tony Ciuffetelli with Aventure in a swift 1:57.3 while the other went to Typical Newyorker and
driver Alan Schwartz in a 2:00.2 clocking. The third, a pace in the Catskill
Amateur Drivers Club series, saw Hannah Miller guide Tijuana Party to a gutsy
1:57.1 clocking.
In
his NAADA series contest Ciuffetelli left hard from the two hole with Aventure
and when he saw Hannah Miller charging to the lead from the seven-hole with the
odds-on favorite Scottish Cross, he allowed her to take command in a :28.2
first quarter. From there he was content to let the lady and her trotter cut he
fractions.
“I
knew if I let Hannah go I’d get a good two-hole trip,”Ciuffetteli said after
the race. “I followed her all the way until the stretch and then I moved my
horse out and he trotted right by her and won going away.”
At
the wire Aventure was a two-length winner. Scottish Cross easily held on for
second money while Toss Cartwright rallied to be third for Peter Kleinhans.
Ciuffettelli,
a retired corrections officer, also owns and trains Aventure. The 5-year-old
Muscle Mass gelding paid $6.90 for win.
In the other NAADA trot Alan Schwartz sent
Typical Newyorker to the lead from the pole position and they remained
unchallenged until Hannah Miller moved
Lou Lous Princess first -up as the field approached the halfway point.
“I
knew Hannah was coming but her horse was hanging (on the limb) as we raced past
the three quarters and I could see she wasn’t going to even get alongside me,”
Schwartz said. “When we straightened for home my horse opened up a couple of
lengths and he was strong all the way to the wire.”
Typical
Newyorker was a solid one length winner over Paul Minore’s Wygant Prince. Third
place went to Blazin Delores, driven by Dein Spriggs. Lou Lous Princess faded
and finished fourth.
With
his victory Typical Newyorker raised his lifetime earnings to nearly $252,000.
The veteran Conway Hall gelding is owned by Michelle Hallet, Michelle Oglesby
and Roger Doire and trained by John Hallett. He paid $13.00 for win. Alan Schwartz, a former National Amateur
Driver of the Year, notched his 569th career driving victory and he continues to be
the winningest amateur driver competing today.
Sandwiched
between the NAADA trots on the 14-race card the Catskill Club pace was won for
the second consecutive week by Tijuana Party. Hannah Miller was again in the
sulky and although she struggled to take command in a :27.2 first quarter, once
Tijuana Party was on the lead he never relinquished it.
Hannah
and her charge stepped by the halfway point in :56.2 and at that point Ms
Miller had second thoughts.
“When
I saw the timer flash :56.2 I figured I was in trouble, “Hannah said. “But my
horse was gritty and to my pleasure he just kept going forward. He was even
strong in the stretch and held off Dein Spriggs’ pacer (Stoman) who had a
two-trip.”
Tijuana
Party was a two-length winner over Stoman. J Wanda took home the show dough for
Bob Davis.
Sent
off the odds-on favorite Tijuana Party lived up to his billing and returned a
$3.80 win mutuel. The pacer is co-owned by her driver and her trainer, Nick
Surick.
For
“Hurricane Hannah” it was her 14th winning drive thus far this
season. Last year she won 32 races and was named National Amateur Driver of the
Year. Her exploits last season also earned her the Harness Racing Museum’s
Amateur Driver of the Year and with that honor she will drive against six Hall
of Famers in the Hall of Fame Trot at Goshen Historic Track on Sunday
afternoon, July 3.
““It’s
a real big honor and I’m so excited to be able to drive against the Hall of
Famers,” Miller said.
