When Holiday Shopper goes behind the gate tonight at Woodbine Racetrack, co-owner Robert Hutchison will be cheering on his star pacer from his home in North Ridgeville, Ohio
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Holiday Shopper, a four-year-old daughter of Camluck, will be taking part in the $20,000 eliminations for the Horseplayer Interactive (HPI) Stakes.
Hutchison, who currently owns seven horses, hasn’t had a filly like Holiday Shopper for quite some time.
“She has been just tremendous for us,” Hutchison commented. “She has given my family and I many thrills over the past few years and it’s always exciting to watch her race."
After purchasing the filly for a mere $4,000 at the 2008 Harrisburg Yearling Sale, Holiday Shopper has gone on to earn $156,501 lifetime with a 1:53 career best for Hutchison and his son, Randall, who share ownership.
“We liked her yearling video, that’s what made us purchase her,” he said. “A lot of people thought she was too small, but she was very well balanced in her video so we took a chance on her and it certainly paid off.”
Although owned and trained in Ohio, the mare raced primarily in the Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots Series the past few years and from there she developed a liking for driver Jason Brewer, also a native from Ohio.
“Duke Sugg developed the filly, but when she raced in Canada, he couldn’t always make it, so that’s how the relationship started with Jason,” Hutchison said. “Jason has done a great job with her and when Duke went to Florida, we left the horse with Jason.”
Holiday Shopper will have no easy task tonight as she takes on Ardor Locke, who won the Fillies and Mares Open in her most recent outing. The pair of fillies will battle in the eighth race tonight with a scheduled post time of 9:30 p.m.
To view the entries for Woodbine's Friday card, click here.
Aled Hanover Looks To Capture WEGZ Stakes
On Saturday night at Woodbine Racetrack, trainer Tony O’Sullivan will be looking for back-to-back wins with Aled Hanover. The four-year-old son of Western Hanover will compete in the second elimination of the $20,000 WEGZ Stakes from Post 4.
The Cambridge, Ont. resident is confident that his pupil will be competitive Saturday night.
“He is wicked fast for a piece,” O’Sullivan commented. “I think he will be very competitive in this series. He loves to come off a helmet and if he gets the right trip, he’s got a great finishing kick.”
O’Sullivan took over the training duties last fall from Richard ‘Nifty’ Norman but didn't make many changes once Aled Hanover entered his barn.
“He was making uncharacteristic breaks for Nifty for some reason and I think the change in scenery helped him out. I didn't make many changes with him, he just stopped making breaks so it all worked out.”
Just two starts ago, Aled Hanover posted a tenth place finish in the $100,000 Willowdale Stakes, but O’Sullivan wasn’t upset with his performance.
“He paced a :54.3 back-half with a :27.1 final quarter. I couldn’t ask any more of him. He raced great, but with a Post 9 start, he just suffered bad luck.”
O’Sullivan, who currently trains 37 horses at Classy Lane Training Centre, believes that Aled Hanover has the potential to have a bright future.
“I don’t know how good he can be, but he’s got a lot of potential,” he said. “He has tremendous breeding, a good gait and he’s sound.”
To view the entries for Woodbine's Saturday card, click here.
(WEG)