Gordon Waterstone

Lexington, KY — Trainer Erv Miller has sent out only 20 starters at the seven-week-old Harrah’s Hoosier Park race meet, but with nine winners he couldn’t have got off to a faster start. Helping pave the way to Miller’s early sizzling 45-percent win rate (and .550 Universal Trainer Rating) is the 3-year-old gelding trotter Mallard Hanover and the 3-year-old gelding pacer Certifiable, both of whom are three-for-three in their 2021 appearances at the seven-eighths-mile oval in Anderson, Ind.

While Mallard Hanover remains in his stall this weekend, Certifiable is back in action after taking a week off following his sweep of the three-week Jerry Landess Series, including a career-best 1:51.3 effort in the $18,000 final on April 23.

Certifiable is back in action after taking a week off following his sweep of the three-week Jerry Landess Series. Dean Gillette Photography.

The gelded son of Rockin Image has progressed quickly from his March 16 debut at Miller’s winter base at Southern Oaks Trotting Center in Florida when he won a qualifier in 2:00 with his daughter, Hannah, in the sulky. He will attempt to keep his record perfect when he starts on Friday night (May 7) from post seven for driver Trace Tetrick in the first of three $11,000 divisions (race two) of the second leg of the Hal Dale Series.

Miller and Andy Willinger purchased Certifiable for $20,000 at the 2019 Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale. Certifiable is out of the unraced Art Major mare Psychotic, who has already produced the $259,302-winning Letme Fly Low, whose victories include an Indiana Sires Stakes leg final.

Pyschotic’s siblings include the $812,542-winning Valentino, a victor on the New Jersey Sires Stakes circuit and whose stakes placings include a third in the Meadowlands Pace and second in the Cleveland Classic, as well as standouts Mystical Diva, Lightning Moon and Card Knock Life. The maternal family also includes Cambest, whose 1:46.1 time trial in 1993 put him in the world-record books.

“He was just a big, immature colt and I didn’t want to take a chance on ruining him last year by going too much with him,” Miller explained of Certifiable not making the races as a freshman in 2020. “The horse has always had a great attitude and was great gaited, but when he got down to around 2:10 last year I could tell he wasn’t going in the right direction, so we decided to shut him down and give him the time. Turning him out really helped him, and he really grew and was a different horse. He really grew — he’s probably almost 17 hands now.”

Miller’s stable of more than 110 includes 45 being overseen by his daughter, Hannah, and her husband of just a few weeks, Atlee Bender, at the Indiana State Fairgrounds.

Erv Miller and Andy Willinger purchased Certifiable for $20,000 at the 2019 Hoosier Classic Yearling Sale. Erv Miller Stable Facebook photo.

Off the lone Southern Oaks March 16 qualifier, Certifiable shipped north and won his Landess opener on April 9 in 1:53 at surprising odds of 9-1. The bettors didn’t overlook Certifiable his next two starts, winning his second-leg split in 1:52 at odds of 4-5, before capturing the final in 1:51.3 as the odds-on 1-2 wagering favorite.

“We put in quite a few good training miles in him and I decided I didn’t want to overdo it with him on that clay track, so that’s why it was just the one qualifier,” said Miller. “It worked out that the (Landess) series started when he got up there.”

Miller said Certifiable will likely soon head to the Indiana Sires Stakes, which gets underway later this month.

“That’s our plan after this leg on Friday and then hopefully the final and the Sires Stakes and then he’ll get a couple of weeks off,” said Miller. “He’s also eligible to the opens in Indiana later this year and normally I don’t do that with an unraced 2-year-old but that’s how much I thought of him.”

Resting on the laurels of his Landess final victory, Certifiable missed the Hal Dale opening leg on April 30. Certifiable’s main competition arguably should come from first-round winner Whiskey Wizzard, who parlayed a two-hole trip and last quarter of :25.4 into a lifetime-best 1:51 victory. Starting from post four, the Walter Haynes Jr.-trained Whiskey Wizzard will be driven by Sam Widger.

In addition to Whiskey Wizzard, other first-leg Hal Dale winners looking to go back-to-back include Rogers Image, who starts from post eight in the second division (race nine) with Tetrick driving for trainer Ron Burke, and Never Easy Z Tam, who sprung a 55-1 surprise in his split. Never Easy Z Tam starts from post seven in the third division (race 12) for driver Michael Oosting and trainer Wilbur Eash.

The Hal Dale Series is for Indiana-sired pacers who are non-winners of two extended pari-mutuel starts (3-year-olds three wins) or $25,000 lifetime through March 15, 2021.

First-race post time at Harrah’s Hoosier Park on Friday night is 6:30 p.m. (EDT). Click here for entries for the races.