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.
