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Tuesday, December 17, 2019

JAZMIN ARNOLD IS THE USTA's 2019 NATIONAL AMATEUR DRIVER OF THE YEAR


by John Manzi, chairman of USTA's National Amateur Driver of the Year Committee

MONTICELLO, NY--After a spectacular season in the sulky Jazmin “the Little Flower” Arnold was unanimously named the USTA's National Amateur of the Year. She now joins “Hurricane Hannah” Miller as only the second woman to earn this prestigious honor.

In her first full season driving harness horses, to say that the diminutive miss posted excellent numbers would be a gross understatement. Currently with 59 trips to post Jazmin has 23 wins, 10 seconds and five thirds for a spectacular .512 UDR.

“I'm tremendously honored with award but it wasn't anything that I seeking when the season started,” Jazmin related. “But after success at the Ohio Fairs I was approached by Steve Oldford who was seeking members for the Billings Series and I was quick to jump aboard. And it turned out to be absolutely fabulous for me.”

A member of a harness racing family and a veteran of the Woodland Run Equine Veterinarian Clinic in Columbus, Ohio as well as an accomplished barrel-racer, she was urged by her boyfriend, Adam Short, to try her hand at driving. And after a few victories she was hooked.

After mainly driving around the Ohio county fairs for her dad, Larry Finn, and Adam Short she then met veteran trainer Herman Hagerman whom she admits was instrumental in helping her along in her burgeoning career by offering her a chance to drive some good raceway stock.

“He was the easiest man in the world to drive for,” she said. “He is low keyed and easy going and he taught me a lot about handling and driving a harness horse.”

Once she joined the Billings Series she was a terror on the racetrack. She recently has won 12 races against accomplished Billings drivers at Delaware Ohio and at pari-mutuel racetracks in the Midwest. And on November 3rd she had a driving-double winning both Billings trots at Northfield Park.
With her talent and dedication she has gained respect from all in the industry and the sky's the limit for Jazmin Arnold.

When the members of the United States Harness Writers Association host their annual Convention and Awards Banquet in south Florida in late February “the Little Flower” will be in full bloom when she accepts the 2019 National Amateur Driver of the Year Award.