He may not be a household name or a colt that people set a DVR to witness, but watch out world, On The Virg is on verge of stealing the spotlight all for himself. After all, who captures their first officially timed trip around an oval by the length of the homestretch and more?
“He is such a nice colt,” said conditioner Jim Daily. “You would not even know he is in the barn and he is so nice to drive. Josh Green called me after he won his first qualifier at Northfield by 40 lengths. I had a doctor’s appointment that day, but after Josh called me up, I went up to Michigan and brought him home with me.”
Bred by Lavon Miller of Topeka, Indiana, On The Virg is son of Always A Virgin and the Cams Card Shark mare Modern Bobbi. Owned by Richard Lombardo, Howard Taylor, David Kryway and Eric Goodell, the gelding will attempt to place himself on center stage when he vies for the lucrative and prestigious victory in the $220,000 Indiana Sire Stakes final on Saturday (October 15).
The two-year-old will begin pacing from the coveted rail position as the 2-1 morning line favourite with Brett Miller gripping the lines. On The Virg will compete against a field of 10 rivals, but due to his previous performances, it appears only Rock N Tony (post two, Trace Tetrick, Erv Miller, 9-5) and Limited Edition (post 10, Sam Widger, Perry Smith, 5-1) have an opportunity to claim a championship crown as their own.
“I have two very good colts and I’m not sure which one is better,” Daily said.
He was referring to Ohio Triple Crown victor Scotch McEwan, a son of McArdle and the Stand Forever mare Forever Ivy that has collected $213,462 on the racetrack.
“They are just suit each program so well,” Daily said. “On The Virg has so much speed and he is suited to a larger track like Hoosier.”
While the gelding has yet to net over $100,000 in career earnings, it appears to be only a matter of time before he leaves that milestone in his wake. On The Virg has banked $95,250 and sports a record of 10-5-1-1. His lifetime mark of 1:52, with a sparkling last quarter panel in :27, was paced on August 18 in an Indiana Sire Stakes elimination at Hoosier Park.
“He is so fast it is easy to let him get into the race right off the gate,” Daily said. “But you can do anything with him because he is so professional. He does not act like a two-year-old. It’s like he is an older horse. He behaves like a four-year-old out there.”
With a premium draw and a $75,000 Indiana Sire Stakes triumph already on his resume, On The Virg is poised to place his name in the history books on Saturday night.
“I think he is really going to show us something,” Daily said. “He has a nice post and I feel like he is ready. He was a small horse when I bought him, but he has grown over the summer. He’s still not a big horse, but he has filled out. He is a very talented colt and I’m looking forward to next year with him.”
The $220,000 Indiana Sires Stakes Final for two-year-old pacing colts will be part of a stakes-filled card at Hoosier Park on Saturday. With over $2 million in purses to be distributed on the evening, the star-studded 14-race card will showcase the best trotters and pacers in the state of Indiana and provide an exciting conclusion to the 2016 Indiana stakes season.
(With files from Hoosier Park)