Had you asked Mike Guitard in March about the prospects for two-year-old trotting colt Pullupyoursocks, the Campbellville resident might have predicated nothing short of Ontario Sires Stakes stardom.

Unfortunately, as so often happens with promising two-year-olds, the colt has struggled to find his stride since qualifying in mid-June and will make his first Gold Series start at Mohawk Racetrack on Thursday.

“He trained down all winter really, really well. I thought he was one of the best I’ve ever trained,” recalls Guitard, who has conditioned such OSS standouts as $445,864 winner Grumpy Jake and $460,329 winner Armbro Balance.

Pullupyoursocks made a break in his first qualifier, on June 14 at Mohawk Racetrack, and again in his next two attempts, on June 22 and July 9. Guitard took up the lines himself for a fourth qualifier on July 23 and Pullupyoursocks delivered a steady effort to finish second in 2:02.

Off that solid qualifier the son of Kadabra-Imageofaclearnight made his debut in a leg of the Bridger Series at Mohawk on July 30, but another error saw him finish at the back of the pack. In an effort to help the colt reach his potential Guitard added trotting hopples to his equipment list for an Aug. 10 qualifier and Trevor Ritchie engineered a flawless performance in 2:02.4 over a sloppy Campbellville oval.

“They’ll probably help him a little bit,” says Guitard of the trotting hopples. “Hopefully they will help him enough that he won’t run anyway.”

Acton resident Ritchie will return to the race bike for the colt’s Ontario Sires Stakes debut, sending the youngster in pursuit of a flawless mile from Post 1 in the third $40,000 Gold Elimination. Among the colts that Pullupyoursocks and Ritchie face in the seventh race are former Gold Elimination winner Sparky Gypsy from Post 4 and reigning Gold Final champion Creampuff Macdaddy from the outside Post 10.

“If he stays trotting I think he can stay with them,” says Guitard cautiously. “The fastest he’s ever gone was 2:02 when I qualified him myself and I didn’t put a lot of pressure on him that day, I just wanted him to get qualified. I don’t know if he can go any more or not.”

Guitard trains Pullupyoursocks for Haryott Stables Inc. of Etobicoke. Bryan Haryott offered up $47,000 for the full brother to $316,543 winner Windsun Galaxie at last fall’s Canadian Yearling Sale and Guitard is hoping the long-legged youngster can recoup some of that investment in the remaining weeks of the Ontario Sires Stakes season.

“Hopefully he’ll pull up his socks, or else I’ll pull off his shoes,” says the trainer with a wry chuckle.

Like Pullupyoursocks, Kinetic King has had some hiccups in his journey to Thursday’s Gold Eliminations. After capturing a Gold Elimination trophy in his first lifetime start, the gelding made a break in the July 23 Gold Final at Mohawk and was placed from fourth back to seventh. Since then owner-trainer Ted Nadhazi has not been 100 per cent satisfied with Kinetic King’s efforts, but the Acton resident is hoping a change of scenery and a few other tweaks in routine will have the trotter back on track for his third Gold Series appearance.

“We moved out to a farm to get him some fresh air, a change of scenery, some green grass,” says Nadhazi, who had been stabled at Mohawk prior to the move. “This will be his first start off the farm. I’m hoping that he races good enough to make the Final.”

Following the miscue in the Gold Final, Kinetic King made two starts in the Bridger Series, finishing third on July 30 and second on Aug. 9. He and driver Roger Mayotte will be trying to reclaim the form that saw them post an impressive 1:59.1 win in the July 16 Gold Eliminations, making their bid for a second trophy from Post 3 in the first heat on Thursday.

“I stayed grounded,” says Nadhazi of the gelding’s recent struggles. “I’ve trained enough trotters to know these things happen.

“I feel nothing but gratitude,” he adds. “I’m a one-horse stable and I had a couple of enquiries about him, but this is the type of horse I want to be associated with. It’s an honour to have him.”

Nadhazi’s reluctance to entertain offers on the homebred son of Kadabra-Matriarch also stems from the connection the horseman feels to the youngster. Unlike the other horses he has bred, Nadhazi was on hand for Kinetic King’s birth and actively assisted the mare when things got a little dicey.

“I had my feet up on her butt and pulled him out, because he was stuck,” explains the horseman. “I was there from the moment he opened his eyes and took his first breath. He had his head in my lap when he opened his eyes.

“It’s been quite a journey, it’s been very rewarding,” he adds.

The horseman says the financial rewards from the elimination win paled in comparison with the pride he felt as Kinetic King swept around the turn and trotted across the finish line well ahead of his peers, and he hopes the gelding can regain that effortless form before the end of the season.

“I’ve never won a final,” he explains. “I’ve won a couple of legs, but I’ve never won a final and I’m hoping that somewhere along the line that happens.”

Kinetic King will take the first step toward that possibility in Mohawk Racetrack’s second race on Thursday. The other two Gold Eliminations will go postward in Races 5 and 7 and the evening’s program gets under way at 7:10 p.m.

To view entries for Thursday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Thursday Entries – Mohawk Racetrack.

(OSS)