Tight Pants kept Irving Liverman young in 2010 and he's hoping for more of the same this year

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"What an exciting horse. She was a complete idiot until Brett Pelling's dad Brian turned her around. She's training in New Jersey now with (trainer) Nifty Norman, and we're expecting a lot from her this year. She's staked to everything," said Liverman, who'll be 88 next week.

The hall-of-fame owner and breeder from Montreal has transferred most of his harness racing assets to son Herb in recent years, but remains co-owner of broodmare Soutaine Hanover, dam of Tight Pants. That makes him co-breeder of record for the three-year-old Muscles Yankee filly, owned by Herb and partners Mel Hartman and David McDuffee.

As a two-year-old, Tight Pants won six of 12 starts (all in a row) and collected $172,680.

The win that had everyone buzzing, and put Liverman over the moon, was her October victory at Lexington in the $88,000 Bluegrass Stakes, where she accelerated from eighth in the stretch to win going away by two lengths.

"I've never seen anything like it," Liverman said, "and at my age, I've seen quite a few."

(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)