Is she the best two-year-old trotter in North America? Venerable might have the chance to prove it in a few weeks time if her connections give the undefeated filly a shot against the boys in the 2021 Mohawk Million.
On Saturday (Sept. 11) the daughter of Walner - Jolene Jolene added the $392,000 Peaceful Way final for two-year-old trotting fillies, part of the 2021 Pepsi North America Cup undercard.
Sent off as the 1/5 choice, Venerable was settled into third early by driver David Miller as American Beauty (Yannick Gingras) and Dabra Day (Louis-Philippe Roy) battled fopr early front-end position. American Beauty won that tussle, but didn't maintain that advantage for long as Miller moved Venerable to the front shortly after the :28.1 opening panel.
After a :57.3 half, the outer flow started to develop with Delilah Hanover (Andy McCarthy) towing second choice Adare Castle (James MacDonald) into contention. As Venerable breezed by the third quarter in 1:26, the favourite looked calm, cool and collected on the lead with a motionless Miller guiding her around the far turn. Without plugs pulled or a line lifted, Venerable opened up at the head of the lane before cruising under the wire in 1:54.3, totally wrapped up and under absolutely no urging from her Hall of Fame driver. Adare Castle acquitted herself well for the runner-up spot with Peyton Hanover (Doug McNair) slipping through horses to close well for show.
"I got her away from the gate and when I moved her, she got to the lead and relaxed," Miller told Monique Vág after the win. "I spoke to her halfway around the last turn and as soon as I did she just picked it right up, and then into the stretch I just kept talking to her kept her attention and she was pretty comfortable."
"She's a professional, you know, she's really easy to get along with does her job and she's been doing it very well."
Richard 'Nifty' Norman trains Venerable for owners David H McDuffee of Rye, N.H., Mel Hartman of Ottawa, Ont., Paul Bordogna of Fair Lawn, N.J. and Steven Arnold of Purchase, N.Y. In seven starts, Venerable sports seven wins and $511,255 in purses. Miller indicated to Trot Insider earlier in the week that the Mohawk Million was indeed on the table should the connections secure a slot.
"It's still a filly going against the boys, you know, but I certainly feel that she could be competitive with them for sure," said Miller. "I don't think she would embarrass herself. When [Nifty] mentioned that, I thought that it was a good idea, also."
The Peaceful Way Final is part of a stakes-packed card anchored by the 2021 Pepsi North America Cup. Read all the recaps from Cup night in the 2021 Pepsi North America Cup News Centre.