“Owner” Aaron Merriman sends out Oaks starter Awesome Trix

August 4, 2021, by Gordon Waterstone, USTA Editorial Specialist

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.

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.

“(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.”