Though his name may look unfamiliar in the program, PJ Fraley has a wealth of experience when it comes to training and racing horses at the Meadowlands Racetrack
.
After working for some of the sport’s top stables, Fraley struck out on his own this year and is off to a rousing start. He scored a training triple on the first Saturday of the Meadowlands meet with Real Flight ($4.60), Andy Roo ($6.80) and Outa My Head ($52).
Fraley has entries in three of the four $16,000 Clyde Hirt Stake Series divisions on Saturday. The final goes for an estimated $75,000 on January 28.
“I worked for Noel Daley for nine years,” said Fraley, 35, a native of Marshall, Michigan. “I took care of Mr Muscleman [career winner of $4,032,206]. Then, I was an assistant with Nifty Norman and Ken Rucker. I also drove a few for Noel, and qualified a lot horses for him.”
Fraley finally decided the time was right to break out on his own.
“I had been around here long enough -- 15 or 16 years -- and this was a great opportunity to set up my own stable. I’m based at White Birch Farm [in Englishtown, New Jersey] with a stable of 40, and we still have five more to come in. There are no babies. I’m just trying to make a name for myself with raceway stock. We’ll claim some if they pop up. Maybe some of ours will get claimed this week, and that will open up some stalls. That’s the way the game works.”
Fraley has been around the barns since attending high school in Detroit.
“I went right to Hazel Park after I graduated. I was hanging out there every night. My father owned a cheap horse with some coffee shop friends, but I managed to hook up with the big stables there. Back then, they had a show called ‘Harness Night in America’ on ESPN, and I remember watching Peter Wrenn beat the great Moni Maker with Personal Banner in the Breeders Crown. I knew right there, that’s what I wanted to do.”
Last Saturday, Fraley was hooting and hollering on his way to the winner’s circle to greet longshot Outa My Head.
“I couldn’t believe he went off at 25-1. We claimed him for $40,000 at Yonkers and he wasn’t getting around that half-mile track. Going into it, Tim Tetrick said he’d probably be good here. Tim couldn’t really drive on him at all at Yonkers because he was throwing in steps there. He paced in two minutes there, half falling down.”
Andy Roo was a convincing winner in 1:51.4.
“That horse showed his class. He was racing in the Opens at Yonkers from outside posts, and he’s going back there this week."
Real Flight scored as the 6-5 favourite in a career best of 1:51.4, and has drawn Post 2 in the fourth division (Race 10) of the Clyde Hirt Stake Series on Friday.
“Hopefully, we can get him straightened around a little bit,” noted Fraley. “Tim [driver Tim Tetrick] had to get after him to wake him up. That horse had been racing on a smaller track [at Chester]. He goes to his knees and interferes with himself. Also, the track is so loose right now. You used to have horses jogging and training on it all morning. It will take a little longer for that track to set up. They had it faster last Saturday.”
Fraley also sends out Hustle On Over from Post 2 in the second division (Race 4).
“We bought a couple off the same people [the Roland family] in Iowa at the same time, and this one is very green. He could have won on November 29 at Yonkers when a horse looped him and stopped. He came back up the inside to be a close second.”
Mach My Word makes his Meadowlands debut from Post 7 in the third division (Race 7).
“Tracy Brainard sent him down to me from Woodbine. The first week he didn’t train well, but then he was a little better the other day. He looks like a contender, yet he might need a trip over the track.”
Tetrick will be the featured In The Sulky guest on Friday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Fans can watch the broadcast live from the Paddock Level television set or online at MeadowlandsRacetrack.com beginning at 6:30 p.m.
(With files from Meadowlands Racetrack)