Gordon Waterstone

Lexington, KY — Driver Aaron Merriman has won more than 13,000 races over his career and garnered many trophies, and on Saturday (Aug. 7) he will have a chance to add another big prize to his resume. But not as a driver — as an owner.

In partnership with trainer Chris Beaver and Robert McNerney, Merriman shares ownership of the 3-year-old filly trotter Awesome Trix, who will start from post three in the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks at The Meadowlands. The daughter of 2014 Hambletonian champion Trixton is listed at morning-line odds of 9-2 after springing a 24-1 surprise in her Oaks elimination last Saturday night (July 31) at the Big M.

Awesome Trix is the third choice, behind 3-1 favorite Bella Bellini (post five) and 7-2 Lady Chaos (post four), who respectively finished second and first in the other Oaks elim.

Scott Zeron rallied Awesome Trix from last along the inside to win her Oaks elimination by a length in a career-best 1:52.4. Lisa photo.

With Merriman watching the Oaks elims from the Northfield Park paddock, driver Scott Zeron rallied Awesome Trix from last along the inside to win by a length in a career-best 1:52.4. After starting from post nine and getting away last in the 10-horse field, Awesome Trix was still 5-3/4 lengths behind in seventh at the three-quarter pole when an inside path opened along the pylons in the stretch that allowed Zeron to guide her through for the victory.

“It was right before the fillies and mares open at Northfield so I was able to watch it with a bunch of us,” said Merriman. “It was the craziest thing, especially with the way she got away. I was saying, ‘just be fifth, just be fifth.'”

Merriman said he played no role in choosing a driver for the Oaks elimination, and there was no decision to be made for the final as Zeron will again be in the sulky.

“In all honesty, I say absolutely nothing,” said the 43-year-old Merriman, the 2018 Driver of the Year who is on his way to his seventh consecutive title as the leading dash-winning driver in North America. “I never say a word.”

While Awesome Trix has 20 career starts heading into the Oaks final, Merriman has sat behind the filly just three times. He drove Awesome Trix just once last year as a 2-year-old, directing her to a second-place finish in her qualifying race debut at Delaware, Ohio. Awesome Trix subsequently went winless in 10 starts in 2020, but when Merriman was back in the sulky for her sophomore debut in an April 26 overnight at Miami Valley, she broke her maiden in 1:55.3. Merriman again was behind the filly trotter on June 25 at The Meadows where she overcame an early break to finish second in the $60,470 Currier & Ives.

Since that race, Awesome Trix won at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono (with driver George Napolitano Jr.) and then finished third in a Tompkins-Geers division at The Meadowlands (with driver Brian Sears).

Zeron said Sears was then listed by Beaver to drive Awesome Trix in the Oaks elimination, but the Hall of Famer opted off to drive the Marcus Melander-trained Iteration, who finished second to her in the elim.

Aaron Merriman is looking forward to watching Awesome Trix in the Hambletonian Oaks. USTA/Mark Hall photo.

“(Beaver) had put Brian (Sears) down and Brian is good with every horse, in my opinion,” said Merriman. “Scotty (Zeron) had driven her before (third in a June 11 overnight at The Meadowlands) and you want to stick with someone who has driven her, and when Brian chose off, Chris said he was going to put Scotty down. I said, ‘OK, good, that’s fine with me.'”

Bred by Lynn Jones and Steve Stewart, Awesome Trix is out of the unraced Majestic Son mare Awesome Chrissy, a full sister to the $1.4 million winner Charmed Life. A $13,000 yearling purchase by her current ownership group, Awesome Trix is a half-sister to Awesomedabra, a multiple-time winner on the Ontario Grassroots circuit whose lifetime mark of 1:53.4 came last August at The Red Mile.

“Chris picked her out,” remembered Merriman of his purchasing an interest in the filly who has now amassed earnings of $106,611. “Usually at the end of the year at the sales times he has a lot of owners that have priorities. He will send me a list letting me know what is available and the price. That’s what we’ve done the last few years.”

Merriman said he will again be driving at Northfield Park on Saturday when the Oaks final is contested at approximately 5:42 p.m.

“I don’t get nervous at all, but I’m very anxious to watch the race. And very excited,” said Merriman, who has driven in only a handful of Hambletonians and Oaks over his career. “She was the second favorite in the New Jersey Sires Stakes final (on May 28 at The Meadowlands with Bob McClure driving) and I really thought she had a big shot. It was a horrible track and she’s not the most sure-footed and she made a break at the head of the stretch.

“She’s had some problems but she’s been so good her last few. She’s been phenomenal the last couple.”

Awesome Trix a ‘bargain’ for Beaver

by Ken Weingartner, USTA Media Relations Manager

Ken Weingartner

Hightstown, NJ — It was not always the smoothest trip, but that has made trainer Chris Beaver’s journey to the Hambletonian Oaks final with Awesome Trix all the more rewarding. Purchased as a yearling for $13,000 at the 2019 Lexington Selected Sale, the filly was winless at 2 but is finding her best stride as her 3-year-old season rolls through the summer.

Awesome Trix has won three of 20 races lifetime, with two of the victories coming in her most recent three starts. She has hit the board a total of 13 times, earning $106,611.

“It’s been a progression with her,” Beaver said. “She’s always interfered behind, been a little bumpy. The drivers get a little scared of her the first time they sit behind her, they’re a little hesitant. But she’s better now than ever. I think she’s maturing and getting sounder and getting stronger, strong enough to carry her speed even though she bumps a little bit.

“To me, she looks better than she ever has. She’s in her best shape physically and she’s trotting as well as she has. I’m pretty happy.”

Chris Beaver owns Awesome Trix with Robert McNerney and Aaron Merriman. USTA photo.

Beaver, who owns Awesome Trix with Robert McNerney and Aaron Merriman, admitted he was uncertain whether his filly would reach this level. She advanced to the Oaks final with a win in her elimination last week at odds of 24-1.

“I probably thought it was a bit of a longshot, although we did stake her to it,” Beaver said. “I staked her to a few other nice races, not over the top. She showed plenty of speed last year. We just kind of had to hold her together, though. I was hoping that she would come this direction. She has gone the right way. I think part of it is because she has so much desire to do it. You don’t really even have to ask her.”

Beaver selected Awesome Trix as a yearling for a variety of reasons, including her looks and pedigree. She is by Trixton out of the Majestic Son mare Awesome Chrissy.

“She’s not big, but she’s got a lot of body to her,” Beaver said. “I like the Trixton fillies. Her family is neat to me with Majestic Son. I like the cross to Trixton with the Majestic Son mare. It was just those little things. I also knew she wouldn’t bring a lot of money because she didn’t stand well. I like a bargain.”

In his career, Beaver has had two finalists in the Hambletonian and one in the Hambletonian Oaks. His best finish in those races came in 2014 when Il Sogno Dream finished fourth in the Hambletonian.

Awesome Trix will start the Hambletonian Oaks from post three and is 9-2 on the morning line behind Bella Bellini (3-1) and Lady Chaos (7-2).

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Beaver said. “I think they probably handicapped it about right. I think we have a shot. She’s been trotting home really fast in her last few starts, as good as any of them in there. She should land in a good spot from where she is on the gate.

“To win a race like this would personally mean a lot to me, a lot more than the money. It means a lot for me to buy one inexpensive like her and bring her out here and compete as we are. I enjoy that, developing a horse like her and showing that she can compete.

“Bob McNerney has been in the business 35 years and never had one race in the Oaks. This is probably the second or third horse we’ve owned together. That’s fun too, to bring people along that haven’t experienced it before.”

The field for the 51st edition of the $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for 3-year-old trotting fillies, that takes place Saturday (Aug. 7) at The Meadowlands, with post position, horse (driver, trainer) and morning-line odds:

1. Darlene Hanover (Brian Sears, Brett Bittle), 10-1
2. Flawless Country (Ake Svanstedt, Ake Svanstedt), 15-1
3. Awesome Trix (Scott Zeron, Christopher Beaver), 9-2
4. Lady Chaos (David Miller, Linda Toscano), 7-2
5. Bella Bellini (Dexter Dunn, Nifty Norman), 3-1
6. Piper Hanover (Andy McCarthy, Tony Alagna), 8-1
7. Hot As Hill (Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke), 15-1
8. Contested Hanover (Tim Tetrick, George Ducharme), 15-1
9. You Ato Dream (Jeff Gregory, Jeff Gregory), 8-1
10. Iteration (Brian Sears, Marcus Melander), 6-1