by john manzi for NAADA and the Catskill
Amateur Club
When
“Hurricane Hannah” Miller returned to the Monticello Raceway paddock after her
driving victory with Histoire Enternelle on Thursday (August 4) she handed the lines to trainer Nick Surick
and said “It was a good day”, and by all accounts it certainly was for the
nation’s leading amateur driver.
The
1:55 triumph with Histoire Eternelle was the talented miss’s second driving
victory of the day and 22nd of theseason after previously scoring
behind trotter Rocket Master in 1:57.4 in an earlier race on the card.
In
all, there were four events for amateur drivers on Monticello’s 11-race
Thursday afternoon program; three trots in the NAADA Series and one pace in a
Catskill Amateur Club event.
The
NAADA trots were the eighth leg of the 10-leg series that will afford the three
top point-earners in the events a chance to draw for an all-expense paid trip
to New Zealand later this year to race against the local amateurs in events
slated down under.
The
afternoon’s amateur events got underway when Ms. Miller reined Rocket Master to
a two length triumph in the second race.
After being careful as the wings of the mobile
gate folded, Miller took her trotter to the pylons and was fifth at the first
stanza, some eight lengths behind the leader as the timer flashed :28.3. With a
move to the outside at the three- eighths pole Rocket Master improved to fifth
position at the half and by the time he reached the three quarters he was on
top. From there Rocket Master coasted to a two-length triumph over Peter
Kleinhans’ Windsun Galliano. Current Crisis was third best for Bobby Krivelin.
“I
was careful with him as the gate pulled away because he’s rough-gated on the
straightaways,” Miller said. “He put in a couple of extra steps along the way
time but he was still strong finishing.”
Co-owned
by Hannah, her dad Erv Miller and trainer Nick Surick, Rocket Master paid $2.90
for win.
Hannah’s
ride behind Histoire Eternelle was the fastest on the afternoon card.
“He
was a little head-strong warming up and scoring down but once he got behind the
(mobile starting) gate he relaxed. But when the gate sprung he was off to the
front,” Miller said referring to Histoire Enternelle.
They were never in trouble and were an
oh-so-easy four-length winner over KB’s Bad Boy and driver Barry Addison.
Azoreansailor (Ken Heins) finished third.
Owned
by the J L Stable and trained by Nick Surick, Histoire Eternelle returned a
$2.50 win mutuel.
Another NAADA trot saw Tony Ciufettelli and
Aventure steal soft fractions during the
first half mile and then speed away to a
two-length triumph in a 2:00 clocking. Joe Faraldo and For You Almostfree chased the winner home
while Bob Kenney and Rev Up The Spice were third best.
“I
rushed him (Aventure) out of there and when no one came at us I lulled him,”
Ciufettelli explained. “When we passed the half (in 1:02.3) I stepped on the
gas and he paced a final half in :57.2.”
Owned,
trained, and driven by Ciufettelli Aventure paid $4.60 for win.
A
third NAADA trot went to Sam’s Honeybee and driver Tony Verruso with a gate to
wire performance in a time of 2:00.4. Cassa’s Image finished second for Dr.
John Kokinos and Steve Oldford took home the show dough with Starsboveallerage.
“We
had the pole position and we got a big break when the favorite (Zoli, driven by
Peter Kleinhans) broke at the start,” Verruso said. “My mare is good on the
lead and when we were left alone in a 1:02.2 half I knew we’d be tough to beat
from there.”
Owned
by her driver and trained by Carl Gillespie Sam’s Honeybee won for the sixth time this season.
Discounted by the betting public and sent off at odds of nearly 12-1 she
returned a $25.60 mutuel.
Now
with eight legs in the books Hannah Miller leads with 48 points followed
closely by Tony Ciufettelli’s 46. Peter
Kleinhans is currently third with 40 points. Rounding out the top five are Alan Schwartz (37) and Tony Verruso (29).
Upon completion of the series 10 legs the top three in points will draw for a
trip to New Zealand
