Deweycheatumnhowe may have a 16-race win streak coming in to the World Trotting Derby, but there's one other horse not far behind him.

ABC Mercedes (PP8, M. O'Mara, 10-1) is a perfect eight-for-eight this year and also has six wins in a streak held over from last year, making him 14 for his last 14. Although, the gelding's Saturday test will be his first against Open foes and first outside of Indiana.

"We had the Indiana Sires, so he wasn't nominated to a lot of big stakes," said trainer Joe Putnam. "He was pretty good at two (9-7-2-0 $119,500, 1:57.1), so we looked around and tried to find a couple of races at three other than our own program. DuQuoin fit in.

"The horse has done everything we could ask of him in Indiana, in both the two and three-year-old programs both years. We knew he was a nice horse and capable of some pretty good speed, he's coming in to this race as good as he can be."

ABC Mercedes is also capable of high speed, as evidenced by a :26.4 last quarter in a nine-length victory in mid June, though Putnam gives some credit to the weather.

"I think it was a night the wind was blowing a little at Hoosier," he said. "He had pretty soft factions in the race and the wind aided it a little bit probably, but nevertheless he had the field beat pretty handy. It was pretty impressive."

Both Putnam and ABC Mercedes' owner Larry Miller have had good luck with other members of this horse's family. "We've had two prior full sisters to this horse and they were both very good here in the Indiana program," said Putnam.

The full sisters are ABC Bay Bee with a mark of 1:56.4 and $132,998 in earnings, and ABC Glory, with a mark of 1:57.1 and $158, 223 in the bank. "We were looking forward to him from day one because the fillies were pretty good and he was the first colt by ABC Garland in the family. We were hoping he'd be something special. It's turned out that he's a very nice horse."

Putnam realizes ABC Mercedes won't get far with his usual trip of going to the front and staying there in this field. "It'll be a new experience for him, but I raced him from behind last year," notes Putnam.

"This year we've been the big favourite in the races and he's dominated the class. You try to stay out of trouble and win the race at the same time. What you see is how he's been raced. We try to stay out of trouble leaving, make your way to the front and it's turned out well every start this year."

Putnam jokes that their starting position outside of favoured Deweycheatumnhowe may afford them some advantage. "I see we're right next to 'Dewey,' just get some velcro and attach ourselves to him and he'll lead us in the right direction."

(HRC)