Hannah Miler, the 23-year-old daughter of top trainer Erv Miller, is showing the racing world that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and she is making a name for herself in a sport dominated by men.
On the wet and dreary Thursday afternoon in New York’s southern Catskill Mountains, Miller reined Rev It Now to a 2:02 triumph over a soggy racetrack in the fifth leg of the North American Amateur Driver Trotting Series which was held at Monticello Raceway.
It was the second consecutive NAADA victory for the Miller-Rev It Now connection after they scored a 2:01.1 triumph at Freehold Raceway on April 5. And it was the third consecutive triumph for Ms. Miller having been victorious with Jacks To Open in an amateur contest at the Meadowlands on April 3.
Undeterred against a field of all male drivers on Thursday afternoon at Monticello, Miller and Rev It Now started from the five-hole and left to find a spot along the pylons on the first turn .They settled in fifth position as Bob Hechkoff and Tagmaster scooted to the lead from the five hole as the wings of the mobile gate folded.
Alan Schwartz, with betting favourite, Bad I Am from post two, was content to be in the cat-bird’s seat from the get-go and watched as Hechkoff parked-out Swift Blizzard (Bob Davis) and refused to let him go. Joe Lee, after reining a $183.00 winner earlier on the card, held fourth place with Miss Directed.
The field was still in that line-up as they passed the half at which point Miller moved Rev It Now to the outside and up moved closer to Swift Blizzard who was getting lots of fresh air on the limb.
Miller got Rev it Now revved-up as the field trotted toward the third stanza and she kept her trotter in high gear as they went three-deep around Swift Blizzard before she moved down alongside Hechkoff and Tagmaster on the final turn which posed a real problem for Alan Schwartz and Bad I Am.
“Early on I thought I was going to have the best of it with a two-hole trip but when Bob Davis’ trotter didn’t tire and Hannah went three deep around the horses in front of her, I never saw daylight until the passing lane appeared,” Schwartz said after the race.
In the lane Rev It Now was still wide-open and he carried Miller to a one and one quarter length victory. Schwartz and Bad I Am used the passing lane but the heavy going on the inside of the racetrack caused by the rainy afternoon hindered Bad I Am in the deep stretch and they had to settle for second money. Tony Verruso came from far back with Flirting Duezy to finish third. Tagmaster faded to fourth.
“When I moved Rev It Now three wide up the backside I didn’t want cover at that point and I just let him ramble,” Miller said. “We never cleared Tagmaster until we straightened for home but when we did my horse got brave, kept at his business and we were easy winners.
“He’s a nice horse and even at nine years old, he’s still got it.”
Miller co-owns the winner with her dad Erv Miller and her boyfriend, Nick Surick. Rev It Now paid $7.00 for win.
It seems that Hannah Miller is peaking at the right time because she will be needed when the North American Amateur Drivers Association hosts a contingent of talented French Amateur drivers during the week of April 21.
The French contingent will be led by the talented lady driver Sophie Blanchetiere, who is the reigning amateur champion in France and winner of more than 250 races.
Being among the drivers that NAADA will be counting on in the US-France competition Miller was asked if she will be intimidated by Sophie Blanchetiere’s prowess when they go head to head.
Miller just smiled and said “Bring on Sophie!”
Races in the U.S.-French Amateur Competition will be at Yonkers (April 21), Monticello (April 22), Freehold (April 23) and at the Meadowlands (April 24).
(NAADA)