Erv Miller recently joined rare company in harness racing by reaching the 6,000 win plateau a milestone reached by only three other trainers. At his current pace, he’ll reach another major milestone with even less company by the end of the year.
Two-year-old colts were spotlighted in a pair of $11,700 contests during the Monday afternoon (July 19) card at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
In the baby colt trot, Aggiornamento started his career with two-straight victories after setting the pace and then holding off the debuting pocket-sitter Backstreet Player by three-quarter lengths in a career-best-equaling 1:58.1. These two were the two favourites in the race, and raced like it – the third-place horse was almost another 15 lengths behind them – with Aggiornamento, a Nuncio–Tuonela gelding driven by Tom Jackson for trainer Fred Grant and owner Russell Williams, having enough left late to make his advantage stand up.
Erv Miller has achieved giant accomplishments as a trainer – fourth of the all-time list for victories and third for money – but most people don’t remember that he also was a two-time UDR champion. On Wednesday morning, Miller showed he had lost none of his sulky prowess by guiding Flip My Chip to a 1:55.3 victory in a baby race at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono.
The Heston Blue Chip gelding did not have an easy go of it, getting an early spot and then coming back on with cover, but he came home in :55/:27.1 to win nicely for driver-trainer Miller and the ownership of Ervin Miller Stable Inc. and Sara Miller.