Kerry Way - 1966
Kerry Way: A Filly Winner - For the third year in a row, a son our daughter of Star's Pride was a Hambletonian winner. Kerry Way, a filly bred by John Gaines of Lexington, Kentucky, and owned by Gainesway Farm, set a world record for two heats by a trotting filly. Kerry Way was the eleventh filly to win the great race. Polaris was second in both heats of the 1966 race with the miles trotted in 1:58.4 and 1:59.3. Frank Ervin trained and drove Kerry Way, a beautifully gaited filly who gave Ervin some anxious moments after the fire mile when it was discovered that she had struck herself on a knee. Between heats of the Hambletonian, trainer Ervin decided to add equipment. The outcome could have been disastrous if the filly had rejected her new equipment, a pair of knee boots. With the boots in place, however, she roared into the lead at the three-quarters and under strong driving, held off the rally of Polaris. It was the second Hambletonian victory for Frank Ervin, but his first as both trainer and driver. He had driven the 1959 winner, Diller Hanover, who was trained by Ralph Baldwin.
In an extraordinary equipment change between heats, Kerry Way won the final wearing knee boots for the first time in her career. Kerry Way was the first filly Two-year-old Trotter of the Year (1965) to win the Hambletonian. There was not a separate filly division until 1968. Continentalvictory was the only other Two-year-old filly champion (1995) to win the Hambletonian. The homebred Kerry Way was a half sister to Pillow Talk, the dam of 1972 winner Super Bowl. Star's Pride, second in the 1950 classic, sired the Hambletonian winner for the third consecutive year. In fact, the first three money winners of 1966 were all by Star's Pride. Kerry Way's breeder, John Gaines, later founded the Breeders' Cup in Thoroughbred racing. Kerry Was was the Three-year-old Trotter of the Year.
