Manofmanymissions has just one assignment now - win Saturday's $1.5 million Hambletonian at Meadowlands Racetrack
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Last weekend, Manofmanymissions won his Hambletonian elimination race by one length over Magnum Kosmos in 1:52.4. The colt, trained by Erv Miller and driven by Miller's brother, Andy, stamped himself as the 9-5 favourite for harness racing's premier event for three-year-old trotters.
Erv Miller sent out the 2005 Hambletonian favourite, Classic Photo, who finished second to Vivid Photo.
"I think it's just another week," said Miller, who was the Trainer of the Year in the U.S. in 2005. "You do the best you can. I can't think of any mistake I made in the first one that would have made a difference.
"If there's a difference, it's the horses. [Classic Photo] was a very nice horse and didn't have the quirks of Manofmanymissions, but this horse is very fast. This horse, if I get him to where he behaves and gets around there good, I think he's fast enough to get the job done. The other horse was fast enough, but needed the right trip and for things to work out. I don't think this one needs the right trip, I think he just needs to be healthy."
Manofmanymissions was hampered earlier this year by an abscess in his left front foot and has had vet work done recently on his ankles. Since then, the colt has won a division of the Stanley Dancer by six and a quarter lengths in 1:52.1 at the Meadowlands in addition to capturing his Hambletonian elim.
"We repeated some of the vet work we'd done a couple weeks ago with him," Miller said. "The other night I didn't think he was quite as good and I think his one ankle -right front] was bothering him a little bit. Hopefully we got that straightened out. It seems like we're getting it figured out. We'd done some work two weeks prior to the Stanley Dancer and he raced very good. So it's encouraging going forward. I'm thinking it will help him quite a bit.
"It's not that he's got horrible ankles, but he's one of those horses that if a little something bothers him it's enough to get him out of being good."
A change in the horse's training regimen also seems to have helped. Rather than jog on the racetrack, Miller jogs Manofmanymissions on a grass straightaway at Gaitway Farm.
"We just started that about a month and a half ago and he really enjoys it," Miller said. "It's two straightaways in the grass, one uphill and one downhill, and he seems to enjoy it. He's got a good attitude. He's happier to do that than be on the racetrack every day."
Last year, Manofmanymissions won four of six races and earned $432,900. His wins included the Breeders Crown, in a world-record 1:53.2 mile, and a division of the International Stallion Stakes. This year, the colt has won three of five races and earned $134,500 for owners Manofmanymissions Stable, Mystical Marker Farms and Maurizio Biasuzzi Stable. In his career, Manofmanymissions has won seven of 11 races and earned $567,400.
Dennis Lakomy, who along with his son Kevin makes up Mystical Marker Farms, was one of the owners of Classic Photo. He also finished fifth in the 2000 Hambletonian with Dreamaster.
"This is the third time, and I hope the third time will be a charm," Lakomy said. "If he comes with his 'A' game, he's going to be very difficult to beat. He can race on the front end, he can race from behind, he's got a lot of speed; he just has his little quirks where sometimes he doesn't fire."
The emotions leading up to the race are "part of the excitement of the game," he added. "I'm just enjoying the moment. Just to be at the dance is a big deal. If for some reason the racing gods look favorably upon us and we can see [Manofmanymissions] under the wire first, we'll be in good shape."
Andy Miller is driving in his fourth Hambletonian final, but first for his brother. He finished sixth with Mystery Photo last year, fourth with The Chancellor in 2009 and ninth with Xactly Hanover in 2007. Mystery Photo and The Chancellor were both trained by his wife, Julie.
"It's special to have my brother driving," Erv Miller said. "It's always been a dream of ours to do it together rather than just one of us getting there. It's a lot more fun. It means a lot to me."
Here is a look at the field for the $1.5 million Hambletonian:
PP - Horse – Driver – Trainer - Morning Line Odds
1. Broad Bahn - George Brennan - Noel Daley - 4-1
2. Manofmanymissions - Andy Miller - Erv Miller - 9-5
3. Fawkes - Yannick Gingras - Jonas Czernyson - 15-1
4. Chapter Seven - Mike Lachance - Linda Toscano - 7-2
5. Whit - Tim Tetrick - Homer Hochstetler - 8-1
6. Whiskey Tax - Randy Waples - Thomas Durand - 15-1
7. Opening Night - John Campbell - Jim Campbell - 10-1
8. Magnum Kosmos - Brian Sears - Tony Dinges - 15-1
9. Luckycharm Hanover - David Miller - Tom Haughton - 15-1
10. Pastor Stephen - Ron Pierce - Jimmy Takter - 10-1
(Meadowlands Racetrack)