by john manzi for NAADA and CADC
The
final leg of the North American Amateur Drivers Association’s Trotting Series,
along with the final of the Catskill Amateur Drivers Club series, was featured
at Monticello Raceway on the sunny afternoon of Thursday, August 18 and not
surprisingly, “Hurricane Hannah” Miller, North America’s leading amateur
driver, walked away with a pair of driving victories in just two trips to post
while a third contest went to Peter Kleinhans.
Hannah
won a NAADA Trot with Rocket Master in 1:58.1 and she copped the Catskill
Amateur Drivers Club pace with Stoman in 1:57.3 which raises her win-total to
26 thus far this season. Kleinhans scored a 2:00.4 triumph with Zoli in a
second NAADA Trot.
In
the first of two NAADA races Hannah scored a come-from-behind triumph with
Rocket Master when they trotted by Alan Schwartz’s Linda Marie in mid-stretch
to score a two length triumph. Woody finished third for Joe Lee.
“I
had a steady hold of him (Rocket Master) and we left the (starting) gate softly
because he is rough on the straightaways,” Hannah explained.
After
settling in fifth position Ms. Miller moved her trotter up behind Cassa’s Image
(John Kokinos) who went first up. She followed her cover until the final turn
where she wheeled Rocket Master three-deep and challenged the pacesetter, Linda
Marie overtaking her and then trotting on to victory.
“I
moved him (Rocket Master) three wide on the final turn because he trots the
turns well and when we straightened for home he was in full gear and I knew we
were going to win it,” Hannah said.
Rocket
Master is owned by his driver, the Surick Stable, and the Erv Miller Stable,
and trained by Nick Surick. Sent off as second choice in the eight-horse field
Rocket Master notched his fifth seasonal triumph and paid $6.20.
Hurricane
Hannah’s second driving victory was in the final leg of the Catskill Amateur
Club’s Pace when she guided Stoman to a gate-to-wire triumph in 1:57.3. Last
week the veteran pacer was claimed from the John Hallett barn by Bob Lounsbury
but the horse’s new address made no difference when Lounsbury again handed the
lines to Ms. Miller
“I
fired him up when the gate left and when he made the front I had a handful of
horse,” Hannah said. “I tried the back him down a bit but he was raring to go.”
And
go he did, pacing through fractions of :27.4, :58.2 and 1:28 before finishing
two lengths in front of KB’s Badboy, driven by Barry Addison. Shark Treasure
finished third for Gerry Fielding.
Owned
by Bill Damburg and now trained by Bob Lounsbury, Stoman notched his fourth
season victory and returned $3.40 to his backers.
Talk
about dominance, it was Hannah Miller’s ninth driving victory in the 10-week
Catskill Club’s series.
.
In
the other NAADA Trot Peter Kleinhans was content to follow the leaders with
Zoli and then moved him three-wide on the final turn and went on to a 1-3/4
length triumph over the even-money favorite, Fox Valley Steffen, driven by John
Kokinos. Bobby Krivelin took home the show dough with Current Crisis.
“I
eased him away from the gate because last week he made a break before the
start,” Kleinhans said after his victory. “I wanted to be conservative and I
babied him and we got shuffled back but when I pulled him (at the three quarter
pole) he was all business. He raced real. well”
Owned
by John Sullivan and trained by John Mc Dermott Zoli paid $6.60 for win. For
Kleinhans is was his 51st career driving victory.
