Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Erv Miller Has Hambo Hopeful

July 18, 2005

Last year, trainer Erv Miller entered the season with one of harness racing’s more highly regarded three-year-old trotters, Photo Color, but failed to make it to the Hambletonian as the colt struggled with consistency. This year, Miller began with the unknown trotter, Classic Photo--now one of the favorites for the Hambletonian.

"That’s one thing about trotters, they can get you a little frustrated, but it’s pretty rewarding when they do well," Miller said. "As a two-year-old, he was a little immature," He just wasn’t filling out the way you like to see them. That’s what took me so long to get him going; I was trying to let him grow up a little more."

Classic Photo won once in eight starts last year and was 90-1 in the season-ending Valley Victory Trot at the Meadowlands in December, where he finished second to Diesel Don. This year, Classic Photo has won five of eight races, including the $350,000 Stanley Dancer Trot on July 15, which is the final prep for the $1.7 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack (eliminations on July 30, final on August 6). He has won four straight races and earned $431,976 lifetime.

In the Stanley Dancer Trot last Friday, favorite Classic Photo won by a length over Strong Yankee while longshot Vino Camielle was third, another length back. Diesel Don went off stride at the start of the race and finished 10th.

Classic Photo, owned by Bill Wright, Jack and Peggy Hood and Mystical Marker Farms, also won the $277,101 Goodtimes at Woodbine in Ontario. Ron Pierce has driven Classic Photo in all five of his wins this season, and will next race in the Hambo elims on July 30.
"Let’s hope he stays good for another three weeks," Miller said. "I think he’s got a shot to do some good if he stays healthy. It’s hard to hold them in form for a long time, but we haven’t had to do a whole lot with him so far. Hopefully, in the next couple weeks, he’ll sharpen a little more. I think he’ll stay as good as he is. He’s raced on a sloppy track, raced up in Canada, had a couple different things happen to him, and been OK. He’s as sound as any horse I’ve had."

Classic Photo was purchased as a yearling for $87,000 at the Kentucky Standardbred Sale in 2002, and is a half brother to Classic Response, who won the 2002 American-National for two-year-old male trotters.