It might be uncommon for recent travels to play a role in buying a racehorse, but such good fortune led trainer Tim McKoy and his partners to Up Front Flor Ida at the 2016 Buckeye Classic Yearling Sale.

Kevin McKinney, who co-owns the female pacer with McKoy’s wife, Virginia, had just returned to Ohio from Florida and took notice of Up Front Flor Ida.

“That’s the only reason we got her,” McKoy said. “She looked like a million bucks in the sales ring; she looked great. But the only thing that first drew attention to her was her name.”

Up Front Flor Ida, whose family includes 2005 Little Brown Jug winner P Forty Seven, was purchased for $3,200. Last Friday, the daughter of Woodstock-Up Front Dr J won the James K. Hackett Memorial in 1:52.4 at Miami Valley Raceway, and established a new track record for three-year-old filly pacers in the process. On Friday she will face eight other Ohio-sired three-year-old fillies in Miami Valley’s $50,000 Scarlet & Gray Invitational.

For her career, Up Front Flor Ida has won four of 10 races, finished third on four occasions, and earned $43,324. She is 2-for-3 this year, with her Hackett victory preceded by a nose victory at odds of 22-1 in her elimination a week earlier.

“They said she was a big upset winner the first time, but I knew she was going to get better and better,” McKoy said. “She’s a good horse. I think she’s hopefully just getting started.

“She’s just a blessing.”

Up Front Flor Ida (7) recording a nose victory at Miami Valley Raceway (Conrad Photo)

Up Front Flor Ida was slow to get to the races as a two-year-old because she required surgery, performed at Hagyard Equine Medical Institute in Kentucky, for an entrapped epiglottis. She raced seven times and closed out her 2017 campaign with a win at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway.

After three months to freshen up, she was ready to get started on her three-year-old season. She is eligible to all the stakes for Ohio-sired three-year-old filly pacers.

“She’s just a pleasure to be around,” McKoy said. “She’s real easy on herself, just relaxed and easy going. And I like that she’s fast.”

Part of Up Front Flor Ida’s personality is her fondness for a certain food – bananas. She acquired a taste for them because one of McKoy’s previous horses, The Ladies Man, ate bananas frequently.

“She picked up on it,” McKoy said. “She just loves bananas. Maybe we can get some kind of deal with Dole or something, have some bananas in the winner’s circle.”

McKoy, a retired factory worker from Springboro, Ohio, is involved in harness racing as a hobby. He trained a small stable before stepping away for the better part of 14 years to focus on his job, but got back to the sport with Up Front Flor Ida and several other horses. Going forward, he plans to keep only Up Front Flor Ida.

“I’m going to concentrate on her,” McKoy said. “I’m going to try to enjoy it. I’ve always raced claimers in my life. This is my first time with the young horses. It’s rewarding. It’s all a thrill.”

McKoy is hoping for more thrills with Up Front Flor Ida on Friday, and beyond.

“I think she’s going to race well,” McKoy said. “She’s getting into her groove, I believe. This will be her fourth start. The sky is the limit.”

(USTA)