“Most people have a baby named after them. What do you do when you have a 1,200-pound horse named after you when it comes to birthdays and things like that?”
Two-million-dollar winner Father Patrick will invade the Chicago racing scene on Saturday night (October 11) and will headline a field of 10 sophomore trotters in the $203,000 American National Three-Year-Old Colt Trot, which has been slated as Race 4 on Balmoral Park’s big American National Night program.
Trained by Jimmy Takter and driven by Yannick Gingras, Father Patrick is owned by the Father Patrick Stables of East Windsor, NJ and has earnings of $2,036,258 to date.
Takter named the colt in honour of the Rev. Patrick McDonnell of the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Hightstown, N.J. McDonnell said he was first taken aback, then welcomed the idea of having a horse named after him.
“Most people have a baby named after them,” McDonnell, 70, offered. “What do you do when you have a 1,200-pound horse named after you when it comes to birthdays and things like that?”
Takter, 53, was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2012 and has conditioned three Hambletonian champions, including this year’s winner, Trixton, who he also drove to victory in trotting’s biggest event. He also harnessed Hambo champs Muscle Massive in 2010 and Malabar Man in 1997. Despite training more than 1,487 winners to $86,429,844 in purses, Takter says Father Patrick is in a league of his own.
“I had a lot of great horses,” he acknowledged. “I’d been looking for that horse I consider quite outstanding. I think Father Patrick is that horse. He’s so flexible, has a great gait and a very sound horse. He’s extremely easy to work with and never gives you a bad day He’s one of a kind.”
Father Patrick was the unanimous choice by the US Harness Writers as the Dan Patch Award winning Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of 2013 when he won 10 of 11 starts, including the Peter Haughton Memorial, William Wellwood Memorial and the Breeders Crown, setting a world record mark of 1:52.1f at Pocono Downs. He was also the leading money winner in his division with $755,047 in seasonal earnings in 2013.
This year, Father Patrick’s wins include a 1:50.4 triumph in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes at the Red Mile on September 28, and wins in the $613,800 Canadian Trotting Classic; the $260,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship Final and the $340,000 Zweig Memorial, the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr. at Pocono Downs in a world record time of 1:50.2f and the $317 Stanley Dancer Memorial in 1:51.3, among others.
Last Sunday at the Red Mile he was bested by stablemate Nuncio in the $435,000 Kentucky Futurity in the late stretch after battling the latter throughout the last half of the race. Coincidentally, Nuncio was only horse to defeat Father Patrick during his freshman campaign. That tough-luck loss did nothing to tarnish the colt’s image with regular driver Yannick Gingras who was still singing his praises after the loss.
“He’s a great horse,” Gingras stated. “When I made the move to the Meadowlands, I made it to drive great horses and he's definitely the most talented horse I've driven."
The Father Patrick Stable is comprised of owners Adam Bowden, John Fielding, Christina Takter, Brittany Farms, Brixton Medical AB, Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband.
Co-owner Bowden owns Diamond Creek Farm, which has facilities in both Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and it’s at one of those facilities that Father Patrick will stand stud once his racing career is finished.
Father Patrick was bred by Brittany Farms, and is a son of Cantab Hall out of the unraced Enjoy Lavec mare Gala Dream. He was a $105,000 yearling purchase at the 2012 Lexington Selected Sale and is a full brother to million-dollar-earner and 2010 Dan Patch Award winner Pastor Stephen, 3, 1:52.4s, ($1,048,607). He also has a two-year-old full brother in Whom Shall I Fear (a $475,000 yearling purchase at the 2013 Lexington Selected Sale), who finished second by a head on October 3 at Lexington to longshot Aldabaran Eagle in 1:55.1 with Gingras in the sulky. Takter also conditions this colt.
Father Patrick will be looking for his 21st win in 25 career starts when he takes on nine other sophomore trotting colts in Saturday's $203,000 American National at Balmoral Park.
(Balmoral)