Intimidate, the Cinderella story of the 2012 Breeders’ Crown, will use Monday’s Preferred trot at Mohawk as his tune-up for the 2013 Crown at Mohegan Sun Pocono Downs.
The Justice Hall gelding came out of nowhere to capture the 2012 Crown final for three-year-old trotting colts and geldings at Woodbine, his first stakes victory.
He’s had a light campaign in 2013, with only seven starts so far, but six are victories, including the $234,000 Credit Winner at Vernon Downs in a career-best 1:51 against many of the same horses he’ll meet at Pocono in the Crown final for older trotters Oct. 19.
In the last 13 months, he’s lost only one of 12 starts, at Hippodrome 3R of all places. That ended trainer Luc Blais’s brief experiment racing him without hopples.
“It’s been a different year,” Blais said. “We didn’t foresee any of what happened last year. It just all came together very quickly after the Simcoe (where he was edged by Little Brown Fox in his first start away from Rideau Carleton Raceway). This year, we had a few small setbacks, but everything looks okay now. It’s a tall order, though. The competition is ferocious. There’s good older horses in there.”
While Sylvain Filion is down to drive Intimidate at Mohawk, Ron Pierce will take the reins again at Pocono. Pierce guided the trotter to victory in last year’s Crown and this year’s Credit Winner, the races that have generated most of his $577,590 in earnings.
Intimidate has drawn post five for the Crown, which is fine with Blais. “You can see what’s happening around you and respond accordingly. It’s important to get good position early on a five-eighths’ (track).”
Breeder and co-owner Judy Farrow of Hemmingford, Que., will be making the trip to Pocono with a party of 13.
“He’ll have quite a cheering section,” she said. “Win or lose, I’m just grateful to be in this position. I still have to pinch myself sometimes to realize this is really happening.”
(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)