Northfield, OH — In what turned out to be a hotly contested event Emanuel Miller went down the road and rebuffed all challengers while hustling Riverdancing Diva to a 1:57.4 victory in a leg of the Great Lakes Amateur Drivers Association trot at Northfield Park on Saturday night (March 20).

In a race where half of the field went for the lead when the wings of the mobile gate folded Emanuel Miller gained command with the 7-year-old daughter of Jailhouse Jesse from the five-hole and wouldn’t relinquish command despite challengers whom were both two and three wide as they headed to the first quarter which was clocked in :28.4.

The betting favorite, Back Door Man (Floyd Rhodes), was persistent in his quest to gain the lead and just kept going forward from post seven. Despite being parked three-deep Rhodes was relentless as he sought the front-end as Back Door Man circled his second-over cover, Ubanji (Eddie Miller), and took aim at the pacesetter as the half-mile timer flashed :58.3.

When the field passed the third stanza in 1:27.3 Riverdancing Diva still showed the way and when the field headed for home Emanuel Miller’s charge, despite being tired, reached down for more and kept a stubborn Back Door Man at bay to score a 1:57.4 triumph. Mark Rocovich, who had a pocket trip along the pylons with Fort Commander, gained the show dough.

Riverdancing Diva, is owned by Double Ee Meadows and trained by Mervin Schmucker. He paid $18.40 to win.