by john manzi
Monticello,
NY—Although it wasn’t billed as such Thursday (Sept 7) at Monticello
Raceway was ‘amateur day at the races’ with three different amateur driving
clubs presenting a race here. They included the CKG Billings Series, the
NAADA trotting series, and a pacing event from the Catskill Amateur
Drivers Association. And despite the fact that most of the drivers were
eligible to all three series races each had with different winners.
“Coach Paul” Minore won the Billings trot with Wygant Prince in
2:00 while Joe Lee was victorious in the NAADA trot with Tim Lizzie in a 2:02.4
clocking. And “Hurricane Hannah” Miller copped the CADA pacing event with
Artistic Cruiser in 1:57 flat.
In
the Billings trot Minore took no prisoners when he gained command on the first
turn and went down the road with Wygant Prince and they made every pole a
winning one en route to a solid two length victory over Hannah Miller’s Pine
Tab. Finishing third, some four lengths behind the winner, was Permanent Joy
with “Rapid Robert” Krivelin at the controls.
“He
was in over his head in his last two starts and I put him on the lead today
because he likes the front end and he showed today why he does,” Minore said
referring to Wygant Prince. And for Minore it was some kind of milestone
for him having won a race in America and one in Hungary this past week. (Minore
won a leg of the USA v Hungary Friendship Competition last Saturday at Kincsem
Park in Budapest).
Dismissed
by the bettors and sent off at odds of over 7-1 Wygant Prince paid $17.00 while
winning for the fourth time this season. And it was Minore’s third driving
victory this year and 90th of his amateur driving career.
The
former high school track coach---- who’s most famous student was the Olympic
champion Carl Lewis--- owns the trotter who is trained by Taylor Gower.
However,
in the NAADA trot Joe Lee and Tim Lizzie had the railbirds smiling even more
when those who held winning tickets were rewarded with a $61.00 payoff.
After
starting slowly Lee and Tim Lizzie were fifth at the first stanza but then went
an overland trip and marched forward until they cleared the traffic and took
command at the top of the lane. From there Tim Lizzie held off a charging Ladys
Big Stormont (Alan Schwartz) to score a neck triumph. A length farther
back in third was Perfect Road, in rein to Dein Spriggs.
“I
got cover behind Bob Davis (with The B Street Fan) and he carried me to the
final turn where I moved Tim Lizzie three-deep and went to the lead and then
held off Schwartz’s trotter to win it,” Lee explained.
Tim
Lizzie, a 7-year-old daughter of Tiny Tim, notched her fourth seasonal triumph
for owner Woody Hoblitzell. She’s trained by Bruce Aldrich, Sr.
For
Joe Lee, the New Yok Yankee’s assistant locker room manager, it was his 29th
winning drive.
Not
to be outdone, “Hurricane Hannah” Miller showed why she is the two-time
defending National Amateur Driver of the Year when she sat back off
speedy fractions and then rallied her pacer, Artistic Cruiser, to a three-length
victory over Jennifer Lappe’s Fool’s Gold.
Lappe
had cut speedy early fractions of :27.2--:57 and 1:26.4 before Miller came to
pick up l the pieces. In that contest four of the seven drivers were ladies.
But Joe Lee spoiled an all-lady trifecta by getting TKR’s Metro Specs up for
the show dough.
“We
were chasing Jennifer (Lappe with Fool’s Gold) from the start and we began
gaining on her when we approached the three quarters. But when we started
to round the final turn I wasn’t sure if we could catch her. But happily we
did”, Miller said after the race.
It
was the first seasonal triumph for Artistic Cruiser who returned a $7.90
mutuel.For Miller it marked her 19th seasonal driving victory and 92nd
thus far in her short career.
