Horseman Ricky MacPhee knew Parlay had some talent at two before an injury scuttled the colt's freshman campaign. Now with Parlay sporting a clean bill of health, MacPhee and his partners are turning a $5,000 investment into much more

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Looking to run his unbeaten streak to three Thursday, April 9 at Woodbine Racetrack, Parlay (PP8, J. Moiseyev, 1-1) has taken some observers by surprise. MacPhee has told Trot Insider that he knew the three-year-old Kadabra colt possessed something special.

"I was with the horse when he was training last year from February to mid-summer," MacPhee explained. "The first things that struck me about the horse were that he was big, strong and didn't show that he had any end to him -- even if he had something bothering him."

MacPhee told Trot Insider that he figured Parlay had cracked a knee, and that is why the bay was shut down last year. The horse was bred by Charalambos Christoforou, Banjo Farms and William Jones. The connections explained to MacPhee and his partners, Harris O'Brien and Robby Wibama, that the horse did have some issues. Parlay was sold at Standardbred Canada's 2008 Summer Sizzler Mixed Sale for $5,000. Now with $18,000 banked, a mark of 1:56.4 and a season of stakes ahead of him, Parlay is making his new connections highly anticipate the upcoming stakes season.

In his career debut March 12 at Woodbine, pilot Jack Moiseyev spotted Parlay well, fired the colt first up and cruised to a 1:59.2 victory. Up in class one week later, Moiseyev again fired the colt first up, this time from mid-pack. Strong on the outside, Parlay would finish off his mile with :28.4 final-quarter speed and take his 1:56.4 mark.

"He's been a pleasant surprise," MacPhee said. "The horse just really needed some time to heal. He was off for about four and a half or five months. He's in the OSS (Ontario Sires Stakes program) and is also eligible to the Goodtimes, Breeders Crown, Canadian Breeders Championships, Simcoe and Canadian Trotting Classic."

Parlay's Thursday assignment comes in the form of Woodbine's Tie Silk Trotting Series. "I'm sure there will be someone, or maybe a whole field, that can give him a run for the money in there," MacPhee explained to Trot Insider.

MacPhee also said that he and his partners have received some pretty respectable offers to purchase the colt, but, at least for now, they are standing pat with their upstart student. "He's definitely for sale," MacPhee said, "but we're just not too sure what his price is right now. We want to see him race a few more starts before we make a decision."

To view the entries for Woodbine's Thursday card, click here.