Quick Stop and Heaven Hanover were the winners of Saturday’s (July 15) two $105,250 divisions of the Del Miller Memorial for three-year-old female trotters at The Meadowlands, giving driver Tim Tetrick a sweep of the two events.
Heaven Hanover (pictured above) scored at 11-1 in the second division, upsetting a field that included 1-5 favourite Bond, who brought a nine-race win streak to the race.
Bond was stretched out by Mambacita in getting the lead in a :27.4 first quarter. She remained on top to the half in :55.3 and three-quarters in 1:22.3 but faced pressure down the stretch from Rose Run Yolanda and Heaven Hanover, who had been at the rear of the seven-horse group at the half-mile point.
Heaven Hanover, who got a second-over trip, put her nose in front of first-over Rose Run Yolanda and driver Scott Zeron right at the finish line in 1:51.3. Bond was three-quarters of a length back in third.
“I got away last, and I knew I could get Scott to pull his filly; I could see she was a little aggressive,” said Tetrick. “Bond got stretched out more than normal and we got led all the way to the promised land. I didn’t have to pull until halfway down the lane; my job was pretty easy there.”
Heaven Hanover, trained by Marcus Melander, is a daughter of Father Patrick-Hillarmbro owned by SRF Stable, Rick Wahlstedt, Heights Stable and AMG Stable. She was bred by Hanover Shoe Farms.
For her career, Heaven Hanover has hit the board in 10 of 12 races, winning four and earning $174,931. She paid $25 to win.
Quick Stop won the first of the night’s two $105,250 Miller divisions by a head over Instagram Model in 1:52.2. Secret Volo was third.
Fifth in the early part of the race, Quick Stop and driver Tetrick launched a first-over march at the half-mile point. Quick Stop was second to favourite Secret Volo at three-quarters before taking the lead in the stretch and holding off a rallying Instagram Model, who had been seventh in the seven-horse field for much of the way.
“We got away in kind of a bad spot,” said Tetrick. “She had to do a lot of work. She definitely earned that one. I tried to leave and get a better position and got put where I didn’t really want to be, but she hung tough. She’s a fighter. I really like that part of her.
“It was a horse race. The favourite was on the front, and I’m trying to beat her, and I know I’ve got another one on my back and I did all the work first up with the littlest horse on the track. I give her credit. It was a hard-fought win.”
Quick Stop is a daughter of Tactical Landing-Falls For You owned by ACL Stuteri AB and trainer Anette Lorentzon. She was bred by Fair Winds Farm.
For her career, Quick Stop has won five of 15 races and earned $357,503. Her win in the Miller was her second in four starts this year, following a victory in a division of the Reynolds Memorial on July 1 at The Meadowlands. Sent off at 7-2 odds, Quick Stop paid $9.20 to win.
(USTA / The Meadowlands)