from the Meadowlands Publicity Department

East Rutherford, NJ — Hot off a world record mile, Flamewalker headlines the $46,500 Open Trot on Friday night, June 8, at the Meadowlands.

The Michigan-bred son of Ciro Ambrosio has won six of his eight starts this spring at the Meadowlands for the Julie Miller Stable. In his last race, on May 25, he set a 1:51.3 world record for a 4-year-old gelding on a mile track.

Flamewalker was a private purchase by his owner, Jon Lewis of Yorktown, Ind., on February 20, 2007. Lewis and Chicago-based trainer Carl Porcelli made an offer on the horse after watching him win in 1:57.1 on February 14 at Balmoral Park. Confident in his potential, they shipped the trotter out to the Meadowlands where he has quickly risen up the class ladder.

“When we got him, we really didn’t think he’d progress the way he has,” said Andy Miller, who in addition to being one of the track’s top drivers, assists his wife, Julie, with her stable. “We looked up his lines and weren’t all that impressed. They had taken the trotting hopples off and they thought he had turned it around with that mile. We raced him that way, he acted like he had a lot of go, but coming off the last turn he spooked and ran (in his first start for the Millers on February 28). So, we put the trotting hopples back on, and like they say, the rest is history.”

Flamewalker rebounded from that bumpy start with a 10 length romp in 1:54.4. He reeled off two more wins before having throat surgery in April.

“After he won in 1:55 (on April 6) he bled and also had some throat issues,” Miller said. “He had a little surgery, a month off and then came back real good on Lasix.”

The gelding breezed to a 1:53.1 win in his first start off the layoff on May 4 and closed strongly to finish second the following week. He lowered his mark again as he trounced his foes by nearly eight lengths in 1:52.3 on May 18, his last start in the conditioned ranks. Flamewalker announced his arrival into open company with a dazzling 1:51.3 victory over Corleone Kosmos on May 25.

“The world record two weeks ago was an incredible mile,” he said. “He did get a decent trip before his cover cleared around the last turn, yet he just dug in. Corleone Kosmos was following him, and our horse had every right to get tired, but just kept on going.

“Now, he has a lot of confidence,” he continued. “He’s not a real big horse, but he’s got extreme speed. He had shown a tendency to be a little hot-headed when we got him, so we tried to avoid that. Racing him off cover was a better way to keep him calm.”

Like Flamewalker, Andy Miller has made a short and powerful rise to the top of the ranks at the Meadowlands. The 38-year-old native of Mattoon, Ill. made a commitment to driving in New Jersey last season and concluded 2006 with a career best $5.9 million in earnings, nearly $2.7 million of which was from his efforts at the Meadowlands. Encouraged by his results, he and Julie purchased a home in Millstone, N.J. last August and made a quick move from the Midwest in order to enroll their children at the start of the new school year.

In his first full season at the Meadowlands, Miller has already cracked the top three in the standings with 118 victories through June 6. He piloted Crawdad to victories in the Four Leaf Clover and Fox Sports Net finals for his brother, Erv, and finished second in the Berry’s Creek with The Quiet Mon.

“My success here as a driver has come from moving my family to New Jersey last year,” he said. “We kind of stuck our toes in here and I’ve gotten into the rhythm of things on the track.”

In addition to catch-driving for his brother and other top Meadowlands conditioners, including Mark Silva, Mickey Burke and Noel Daley, Miller assists Julie with her burgeoning stable. The husband and wife team has had a string of successful performers this season, including Enemy At The Gate, Gro, Non Commital and Ms Maggie. Besides Flamewalker, they will send out several other starters on Friday night at the Meadowlands.

“Instead of racing every single week just for the sake of having them in, we’ve really tried to manage the stable to get optimum results,” Miller said. “There’s a lot of money to race for, but keeping our horses fresh and classified at the right level have been the main keys.

“For instance, No Free Parking (post eight, race one) and Clark Hanover (post one, race seven) have both had three weeks off,” he continued. “Clark Hanover has a few small issues. Julie and I try to correct them on all of our horses and get them back to their top level. If it takes a couple of weeks to do it, then so be it. Ima Sporty Lady (post eight, race eight) made a break last week. We tried a few shoeing changes with her, she got to hitting her knees a little bit and it didn’t work. So, we’ll go back to the way she was.”

On Saturday, Miller will head to Mohawk Racetrack in Canada to drive The Quiet Mon in the eliminations for the North America Cup. If all goes well over the next month, The Quiet Mon could give Miller a shot at the $1 million TVG/Meadowlands Pace on Saturday, July 14.

“I’m very much looking forward to heading to Mohawk on Saturday to drive The Quiet Mon in the North America Cup eliminations,” he said. “He was super in his latest qualifier (winning easily in 1:51.2, last quarter in :26.2). This would be my first North America Cup. I also have Xactly Hanover (a Hambletonian eligible) in the Goodtimes eliminations. He qualified great here last week right behind Donato Hanover. I have high hopes for him.”