“I believe he’s a top-line horse. We’ll see. Talk is cheap; the horse has got to produce. We’ve been getting him ready, taking it slowly. I’m very optimistic. We’ll find out what this year will bring.”

Carl Sackheim has high expectations for three-year-old male pacer Another Daily Copy, but rather than spending a lot of time talking about the colt, he hopes the horse’s performance on the racetrack speaks for itself.

A 72-year-old New Yorker, Sackheim bred and owns Another Daily Copy, who competes Saturday in the first of two eliminations of the Pennsylvania Classic, for three-year-old Pennsylvania-sired male pacers, at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono. Sackheim, who started a court reporting business in 1980, often names horses with references to his line of work. The dam of the Somebeachsomewhere-sired Another Daily Copy is Court Stenographer.

“I believe he’s a top-line horse,” said Sackheim, who has Another Daily Copy staked to events including the Meadowlands Pace, Adios, Cane Pace, and Progress Pace. “We’ll see. Talk is cheap; the horse has got to produce. We’ve been getting him ready, taking it slowly. I’m very optimistic. We’ll find out what this year will bring.”

Another Daily Copy will start his Pennsylvania Classic elimination from Post 8 with George Napolitano Jr. at the lines for trainer Nicholas DeVita. Another Daily Copy is 20-1 on the morning line. Ron Burke-trained JK Will Power is the division’s 5-2 favourite.

Burke also has the favoured entry in the second elimination – Check Six and Big Top Hanover – at 5-2.

In addition to the Pennsylvania Classic eliminations, Saturday’s card at Pocono includes three eliminations of the Miss Pennsylvania for three-year-old Pennsylvania-sired female pacers. Pure Country, who was undefeated in 10 races last season and received the Dan Patch Award for best two-year-old filly pacer, is the 2-1 morning line favourite in the first elim.

Sackheim bought his first harness racing horse in the mid-1970s and found his first stakes-level performer in Vacs Happy Cress with partners Ed Cappucci and Ron Jacobson in 1983. Among his recent successes was Another Amaretto, who finished third in the 2012 Kentucky Futurity. His ties to Another Daily Copy date back to 1999, when he bought broodmare Secret Patrol.

The Albatross-sired Secret Patrol, the third dam of Another Daily Copy, was a half-sister to Delinquent Account, who was a star on the racetrack and as a broodmare. Delinquent Account was a Dan Patch Award-winner in 1991 as a pacing mare and later the mom of Dan Patch Award-winner Artiscape and grandam of millionaires If I Can Dream, Western Shore, and Strike An Attitude.

Secret Patrol produced Whats My Line for Sackheim. Whats My Line, who won the consolation division of the 2003 Kentucky Sire Stakes, is the dam of Court Stenographer.

“I love the pedigree,” Sackheim said. “I stuck with it. I’ve got my fingers crossed.”

Another Daily Copy finished second in his first three career races – each by a half-length or less – before running into health issues that sidelined him temporarily. He finished the season with one win in eight starts and $45,563 in purses. He finished fifth in his three-year-old debut on April 19 at Pocono.

“He was racing really super (early last year),” Sackheim said. “He tied up in the middle of the year, and that messed him up. We now know a lot more about him that we didn’t know then. Hopefully all those problems from last year are gone, and he shows it on the racetrack.

“He has speed, he has desire, and he’s got the pedigree. Everybody is always high on their horse. We’ll see if what I think comes out to be true.”

This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.