It’s never easy to build a champion. It takes a lot of work. It takes a lot of hours of jogging a horse, teaching it how to race and how to win, and taking care of it day after day after day. It costs money: from the day the mare is bred, to the day the offspring makes it to the starting gate. That’s at least a three year process. And when the offspring gets to the starting gate, it needs a good post position, a good drive, and a little bit of racing luck. Simple, right?
A look at the field for this year’s Super Finals shows that three of last year’s 2 year old winners are back to compete in their 3 year old season at the Super Finals level. Wrangler Cash, trained by Kelly Hoerdt, won last year’s 2 year old colt Super Final and is back this year ranked behind only Outlaw Turn N Burn among 3 year old qualifiers. Divas Dragonfly won the 2 year old filly title last season and is back this year ranked third among 3 year old qualifiers. Ba Bye Ceia Later, for Rod Hennessy, won the 2015 consolation final for 2 year old fillies and is the leading money winner among 3 year old fillies heading into Super Finals Saturday.
Wrangler Cash won both the ASHA Colt and the Alberta Plainsman final this year. “We’re hoping he can do for us what Cool Cowboy did,” Kelly Hoerdt told me. “Cowboy won the Super Finals as both a 2 year old and as a 3 year old. Wrangler’s not the best horse I’ve ever had, but he’s a consistent performer and he tries hard. It comes down to post position and the right trip. It’s a very competitive class this year, so it’ll mean a little more if he can win it.”
Hoerdt also has a couple of 2 year olds in the Super Finals. Wabash Cannonball will line up in the colts division. The $9,000 buy at the ASHA yearling sale last year has made over #33,000 this season, including wins in the Alberta Lonestar on Sept. 18th and the Alberta Shooting Star on Oct. 15th. He missed the first leg of qualifying, the Alberta Rising Star, on August 7th when he came up lame.
Steady Breeze was a $17,000 buyout of the same sale. She seems to be getting better as the season rolls along. She has a 2-1-1 record in five starts and nearly $20,000 in earnings for owners Kelly Hoerdt, Bill Andrew, and Blair Corbeil. Her most recent start produced a trip to the winner’s circle Oct. 15th in the final of the Alberta Stardust.
“I have high hopes for her,” said Hoerdt. “I really think she’s got a good shot in the two year old filly final. There really isn’t one filly that stands out. Same for Wabash Cannonball in the 2-year-old colt final. That’ll be a tough race because I think any one of four or five colts can win it. It’ll mean a bit more if Wabash can get it done.”
Carl Archibald has high hopes for his 3 year old filly, Divas Dragonfly, as well. The 2 year old champion has raced well in 3 year old company this year, compiling a 5-3-2 log from 17 starts with earnings of $49,478. She won the Ralph Klein Pace on August 7th but was placed 8th for interference. That result is the subject of an appeal, which has been heard but not yet released.
“In her last start in the Alberta Marquis, she came back to the barn covered in mud,” owner-trainer, Carl Archibald, told me. She won it and she’s trained very well since. So I’m hopeful for a good race track and a good result in the Super Final.”
The bigger stables tend to be represented often in Super Finals. But I don’t recall anyone having the kind of season trainer Rod Starkewski is having. And it’s reflected in how busy he and his helpers will be on Oct. 29th.
“Let’s see, we’ve got Keep on Burning for Norm Kennedy, Retro’s Mystery for Robert James, and our own Getup Gideon for the 2 year old colts’ race,” he told me. “Then we’ve got Lil Bit O Jingle for Kurt & Kathy Schmidt for the 2 year old filly stake. We’ve got Classy Artist which I co-own with Tony Chan for the 3 year old colts championship. We’ve got Outlawtriggerhappy which I own with Clauzette Byckal and now Outlawburntpopcorn for the 3 year old fillies. And then in the consolation events, we’ve got Astrid The Axe for the 3 year old fillies. She’s owned by Dion Burlock. We’ve got Queen of Thrones for the 2 year old fillies which is owned by Wayne Stecyk. And we’ve got Trustee which Tony Chan owns for the 3 year old colts stake. I think that’s nine different ownership groups. That’s pretty good, eh? I’m really proud of that.”
Owners are the backbone of the industry, of course. They are the ones who make the initial investments, pay the training and vet bills and put their trust in trainers and drivers to develop good racehorses and get them to the winner’s circle. Two longstanding owners will be represented on the start line at Super Finals and both will be looking to add rare Super Finals champion’s photos to their walls.
Peter van Seggelen has had some good horses over his 30+ years in the Alberta Standardbred industry. The list includes Tajma Hall, whose career earnings topped $700,000 and who is now siring a new crop of winners. But it’s a horse he and partners bought earlier in the summer from breeder, Connie Kolthammer, that has him excited about Oct. 29th.
“We got Outlaw Fireball in a private sale from Connie,” van Seggelen told me. “She’s been really good for us, winning the Alberta Starlet, the Alberta Starburst, and the Alberta Stardust to give her the lead in the 2 year old filly category. We’ve bred some good horses over the years and we might start to breed a few more now that the industry looks a little more stable in the province. Fireball we really liked and maybe, down the road, she’ll be a good broodmare.”
Edmonton businessman, Lorne Duffield, is a partner in 6 Boston Pizza Restaurants and that has allowed him to pursue his hobby of harness racing. He too likes to concentrate on Alberta racing stock with a number of partners, including veteran horseman, Rod Hennessy.
“We’ve got a couple of colts in the 3 year old final this year in Blue Star Jet and Blue Star Maverick,” Duffield told me. “When we can keep him healthy, Jet has done well. Same story with Maverick. We’re hopeful that will be the case on Oct. 29th.”
Train and develop, keep them healthy, draw a good post, and have a little good racing luck. It’s one of the hardest formulas to achieve in sport. But when it happens, it’s a beautiful thing. See for yourself, Saturday, Oct. 29th at Century Downs.
A look at the field for this year’s Super Finals shows that three of last year’s 2 year old winners are back to compete in their 3 year old season at the Super Finals level. Wrangler Cash, trained by Kelly Hoerdt, won last year’s 2 year old colt Super Final and is back this year ranked behind only Outlaw Turn N Burn among 3 year old qualifiers. Divas Dragonfly won the 2 year old filly title last season and is back this year ranked third among 3 year old qualifiers. Ba Bye Ceia Later, for Rod Hennessy, won the 2015 consolation final for 2 year old fillies and is the leading money winner among 3 year old fillies heading into Super Finals Saturday.
Wrangler Cash won both the ASHA Colt and the Alberta Plainsman final this year. “We’re hoping he can do for us what Cool Cowboy did,” Kelly Hoerdt told me. “Cowboy won the Super Finals as both a 2 year old and as a 3 year old. Wrangler’s not the best horse I’ve ever had, but he’s a consistent performer and he tries hard. It comes down to post position and the right trip. It’s a very competitive class this year, so it’ll mean a little more if he can win it.”
Hoerdt also has a couple of 2 year olds in the Super Finals. Wabash Cannonball will line up in the colts division. The $9,000 buy at the ASHA yearling sale last year has made over #33,000 this season, including wins in the Alberta Lonestar on Sept. 18th and the Alberta Shooting Star on Oct. 15th. He missed the first leg of qualifying, the Alberta Rising Star, on August 7th when he came up lame.
Steady Breeze was a $17,000 buyout of the same sale. She seems to be getting better as the season rolls along. She has a 2-1-1 record in five starts and nearly $20,000 in earnings for owners Kelly Hoerdt, Bill Andrew, and Blair Corbeil. Her most recent start produced a trip to the winner’s circle Oct. 15th in the final of the Alberta Stardust.
“I have high hopes for her,” said Hoerdt. “I really think she’s got a good shot in the two year old filly final. There really isn’t one filly that stands out. Same for Wabash Cannonball in the 2-year-old colt final. That’ll be a tough race because I think any one of four or five colts can win it. It’ll mean a bit more if Wabash can get it done.”
Carl Archibald has high hopes for his 3 year old filly, Divas Dragonfly, as well. The 2 year old champion has raced well in 3 year old company this year, compiling a 5-3-2 log from 17 starts with earnings of $49,478. She won the Ralph Klein Pace on August 7th but was placed 8th for interference. That result is the subject of an appeal, which has been heard but not yet released.
“In her last start in the Alberta Marquis, she came back to the barn covered in mud,” owner-trainer, Carl Archibald, told me. She won it and she’s trained very well since. So I’m hopeful for a good race track and a good result in the Super Final.”
The bigger stables tend to be represented often in Super Finals. But I don’t recall anyone having the kind of season trainer Rod Starkewski is having. And it’s reflected in how busy he and his helpers will be on Oct. 29th.
“Let’s see, we’ve got Keep on Burning for Norm Kennedy, Retro’s Mystery for Robert James, and our own Getup Gideon for the 2 year old colts’ race,” he told me. “Then we’ve got Lil Bit O Jingle for Kurt & Kathy Schmidt for the 2 year old filly stake. We’ve got Classy Artist which I co-own with Tony Chan for the 3 year old colts championship. We’ve got Outlawtriggerhappy which I own with Clauzette Byckal and now Outlawburntpopcorn for the 3 year old fillies. And then in the consolation events, we’ve got Astrid The Axe for the 3 year old fillies. She’s owned by Dion Burlock. We’ve got Queen of Thrones for the 2 year old fillies which is owned by Wayne Stecyk. And we’ve got Trustee which Tony Chan owns for the 3 year old colts stake. I think that’s nine different ownership groups. That’s pretty good, eh? I’m really proud of that.”
Owners are the backbone of the industry, of course. They are the ones who make the initial investments, pay the training and vet bills and put their trust in trainers and drivers to develop good racehorses and get them to the winner’s circle. Two longstanding owners will be represented on the start line at Super Finals and both will be looking to add rare Super Finals champion’s photos to their walls.
Peter van Seggelen has had some good horses over his 30+ years in the Alberta Standardbred industry. The list includes Tajma Hall, whose career earnings topped $700,000 and who is now siring a new crop of winners. But it’s a horse he and partners bought earlier in the summer from breeder, Connie Kolthammer, that has him excited about Oct. 29th.
“We got Outlaw Fireball in a private sale from Connie,” van Seggelen told me. “She’s been really good for us, winning the Alberta Starlet, the Alberta Starburst, and the Alberta Stardust to give her the lead in the 2 year old filly category. We’ve bred some good horses over the years and we might start to breed a few more now that the industry looks a little more stable in the province. Fireball we really liked and maybe, down the road, she’ll be a good broodmare.”
Edmonton businessman, Lorne Duffield, is a partner in 6 Boston Pizza Restaurants and that has allowed him to pursue his hobby of harness racing. He too likes to concentrate on Alberta racing stock with a number of partners, including veteran horseman, Rod Hennessy.
“We’ve got a couple of colts in the 3 year old final this year in Blue Star Jet and Blue Star Maverick,” Duffield told me. “When we can keep him healthy, Jet has done well. Same story with Maverick. We’re hopeful that will be the case on Oct. 29th.”
Train and develop, keep them healthy, draw a good post, and have a little good racing luck. It’s one of the hardest formulas to achieve in sport. But when it happens, it’s a beautiful thing. See for yourself, Saturday, Oct. 29th at Century Downs.
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