"I thought I had a $20,000 claimer on my hands when he got here, but he's gotten so much better as the time has gone on. He's a very happy horse and he loves the attention. He rates right up there as one of the best I've been around."
When the $10.500 Open Pace lines up behind the gate on Sunday afternoon at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino, the people's choice at post time will likely be Who Doesnt from post two. A winner of thirteen straight -- dating back to May 25, 2014 -- the six-year-old son of Mach Three has really found his groove since showing up in Alberta during the Fall of 2013 for co-owner, trainer and driver Travis Cullen.
"I liked his racing lines when he was in Ontario," said Cullen. "And I'm a big fan of the Mach Three breed. I wanted a high-end horse that would race for more money here, so I made an offer to the former connections and the rest is history."
Since joining the Cullen Stable, Who Doesnt -- a.k.a. 'Duey' -- has missed only two cheques from 29 starts while racing at Northlands Park, Alberta Downs and now Canada's newest track in Balzac, Alberta.
"Duey loves to race," Cullen added. "He's not much for training -- he just does what he has to there -- but he knows when it's race day and he always has his game face on."
A brief break in the racing schedule in the Spring of last year proved to be the instigator for Who Doesnt's current form. "That two-month break really sharpened him up," explained Cullen. Who Doesnt went on to be named Alberta's Horse of the Year for 2014.
Being the one to beat in Alberta, we asked Cullen what kind of horse it will take to take down Who Doesnt. "Blue Eyed Cowboy is a nice horse and he'll get better in his four-year-old season. He was a solid second to us last time and Rod (Starkewski) does a great job with him."
And what about a mile in 1:50 this summer at Century Downs? "The track crew has put in some long hours to have this new track in great shape early. It's so good already, so it wouldn't surprise me to see that kind of speed this year. The horses are getting around the turns here really good -- they're not small-track turns at all."
Cullen says his game plan for this Sunday will likely include some 'off the pace' racing for Who Doesnt. "I thought this track would favour the front end, but I've had better luck coming from off the pace so far. We'll see how it unfolds early and go from there."
Cullen shares ownership of Who Doesnt with his mom Jodie and relatives Jeanne and Ken Cullen. The 23-time winner will head up a field of five including Comes Home First, Blue Eyed Cowboy, Ghost Pine and Premium Attaction in this Sunday's top class test. To view the entries for Sunday's card of harness racing at Century Downs, click the following link: Sunday Entries - Century Downs.
Fontana's Play Of The Weekend
Sunday, Race 6, at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino: #6 RJS DIAMOND
RJS DIAMOND (M/L Odds 8-1) draws post six today for veteran trainer Rod Starkewski and reunites with Phil Giesbrecht who has accepted the catch driving assignment. But this post should not hurt in any way and Giesbrecht has always been a fan of this daughter of DM Dillinger. "She can snap out of there fast," Giesbrecht said. "The track has been kind to horses on the lead so we will be trying for the front end. She has never raced badly for me ever."
Frank Fontana is a veteran horse race handicapper based in Edmonton, Alberta. His selections for racing, as well as a live stream for watching the races at Century Downs Racetrack and Casino can be found on their website.
(a Trot Insider Exclusive by Shannon 'Sugar' Doyle)