The dream is real and it has arrived.
Jackson Wittup, who has spent 50 of his 66 years at the track, used to wonder 'what if?' What if he would ever find the day when he would have horses in the two most prestigious harness races in Western Canada -- the Western Canada Pacing Derby and Century Casino Filly Pace -- in the same year? On the same day too.
“The day has come,” said Wittup of this Saturday’s historic races at Century Mile. “I’ve got Custard Dolce in the Filly Pace and Momas Work Of Art and Picking Rocks in the Derby.
“Not only that but Custard Dolce and Momas Work Of Art are both contenders.”
Contenders? Oh my, yes.
Especially Custard Dolce, the most impressive three-year-old filly seen around these parts in many years who drew the trailing post nine in the draw conducted on Tuesday afternoon.
“I don’t think that’s bad,” said Wittup. “Once they get settled, hopefully she’ll be able to make her move.
“It’s pretty exciting,” said Wittup, a former long time racing secretary at Stampede Park and racing manager at both Century Downs and Fraser Downs. “It’s the long history of those two races -- especially the Derby. All the great horses that won the Derby. And the Filly Pace.”
Wittup retired six years ago from his management positions, which allowed him to do what he really wanted: own pieces of harness horses.
“I now own 10 per cent of 14 horses. It doesn’t matter if I own 10 per cent or 90 per cent. It’s just the thrill of being an owner. I know I can’t afford any more.”
That’s even though Custard Dolce, bought for $26,500 at the Alberta Standardbred Horse Association Yearling Sale, has won $312,785 for himself and partners, trainer/breeder Jamie Gray of Sturgeon County, Max Gibb of Millarville and Derek Wilson of Heritage Pointe. And that’s from just 19 races.
This past Saturday, Custard Dolce won the Filly Pace prep by an easy-as-pie 3-1/4 lengths in 1:55.2. It was her 15th career win in those limited 19 races. All of her previous wins were in stakes races.
A big, strong, powerfully built filly, Custard Dolce, who wasn’t herself in her previous two races in August at Century Downs -- the Alberta Sires Stakes Princess elimination and final, finishing second and third, respectively -- was certainly back in top form this past Saturday setting her up nicely for the Century Casino Filly Pace.
Getting away sixth, Custard Dolce made her initial move down the Century Mile backstretch before sweeping three-wide and into the lead around the final turn in a blink.
“Just like that,” said track announcer Dylan Beardy.
Now you see her now you don’t.
“She’s so quick,” said Wittup. “She’s got such an explosive move that the other horses just can’t keep up and get on her back.”
Never getting out of a tug with Phil Giesbrecht in the controls, Custard Dolce paced her last quarter in :26.4 and majestically and powerfully drew away as she pleased.
Given four weeks off after those losses in the Alberta Princess leg, if there was any doubt about Custard Dolce being fit enough, it was erased by her second qualifying race back on Sept. 26 at Century Mile. Moving from last to first in the stretch, Custard Dolce paced that qualifier in 1:57.4. But that doesn’t tell the story. What does is that she paced her last quarter in :26.3 as Gray blew out her pipes. On top of that, that was over poor track conditions with races that night eventually cancelled. And, remember, that was just a qualifying, non-betting race with no purse money.
“I never even pulled the [ear] plugs on her,” said Gray, who was scheduled to drive her this past Saturday but scratched himself because he was violently ill.
“Either the flu or food poisoning or something like that,” said Gray, who felt a lot better after Custard Dolce’s victory. “She’s so quick. Especially for a three-year-old filly. She just jumps into gear.”
The horse to fear most in the Filly Pace is Mademechangemymind, who defeated Custard Dolce in both the Princess elimination and final in August. Mademechangemymind also beat Custard Dolce in the Shirley McClellan Breeders Stakes on June 21 by a nose on a very windy day with Custard Dolce doing something foreign - cutting out the pace with Mademechangemymind getting the perfect two-hole trip.
Mademechangemymind drew favourably with post two in the Filly Pace with Mike Hennessy to drive for trainer Nathan Sobey.
Other than those four races, it has been pure perfection for Custard Dolce.
“Rod Hennessy called Shark Week a ‘freak.’ Well, Custard Dolce is the female freak,” said Wittup, whose legacy is putting on the Nat Christie Memorial for 25 years at Stampede Park and never even once having to pay shipping fees.
“I will never forget Counterfeit Crown beating the boys in 1990.”
Gray knew Custard Dolce, a daughter of Custard The Dragon-Blue Star West, was something different before she even raced.
“Jamie is pretty conservative; he doesn’t like to say too much, but he told me back in May of her two-year-old year that she was special,” said Wittup.
That was two months before Custard Dolce even raced. After finishing fourth in her maiden debut, Custard Dolce reeled off eight straight stakes wins, including the $70,000 ASHA Filly Pace at Century Downs by seven lengths in 1:54 flat, which is still her fastest mile.
At threem her highlights have been winning the $50,000+ finals of the ABSS Diamond and Marquis, both in 1:54.3, and the $103,160 Gord and Illa Rumpel Memorial in 1:54.1 at Century Downs.
“She’s just so consistent,” marvelled Gray of the three-year-old filly who has never been worse than third this year.
Custard Dolce will race in Saturday’s $104,490 Century Casino Filly Pace and next month’s $70,000 ABSS Super Final and then that will probably be it for Alberta, assuming she comes out of those two races well.
The plan is to then take her east to Ontario.
“I think she deserves the chance,” said Wittup.
“I’d really like to thank the backstretch for all their support. They wish me well before the races and then congratulate me after her wins. It’s very heart warming.”
“Her entourage of fans gets larger every week,” said Wilson, who met Wittup at the University of Calgary where they were both taking the same Economics class. “She can just fly. It’s pretty exciting. It’s been a lot of fun. Jamie has done a great job; he deserves all the credit. Jamie and all the grooms.
“Custard Dolce can just fly,” said Wilson, whose father Don and grandfather Forest were both heavily involved in harness racing with the likes of Native Stream and Time Stream with the former a dominant invitational horse winning 37 times and the latter winning the 1974 Pacing Derby with Forest -- at the age of 73 -- doing the driving.
Derek also drove and trained Standardbreds, including Monkey Wrench, who won 29 times in the mid-1980s.
Then there’s the $123,880 Western Canada Pacing Derby, which is shaping up to be a real knockout of a race and where Momas Work Of Art will race.
Two eliminations were held this past Saturday. Discontinued won the first elimination in 1:54.3 and Wash N Wax took the second in 1:55. Because of their victories, those two got the inside posts, with Wash N Wax taking the rail and Discontinued post two.
Leading every step of the way, Discontinued set fairly easy fractions of :28.3, :58.1 and 1:28.3 before unleashing a wicked final quarter in 26 seconds flat, holding off the gritty Hands Off Harry, who moved three-wide midway around the final turn, by half a length. Moma Work Of Art finished four lengths behind in third.
“It was unexpected," said driver/trainer Brandon Campbell, who also co-owns Discontinued with Calgary's Raymond Henry and George Rogers. “He’s been sick. He still had a bit of a throat infection on Saturday.
“Fortunately, I didn’t have to work too hard to early,” said Campbell, who drove four other winners on last Saturday’s card.
“Saturday’s Derby will be a different race. There won't be a 1:28 and a piece three-quarters. They’ll be pushing the issue.”
Campbell said, “I feel like my horse is good right now.”
After going winless in eight starts last year, Discontinued has won seven of his 13 starts this year, including an easy win in the $90,000 Moore's Mile Breeders Stakes.
The horse Campbell said he worries the most about is Hands Off Harry.
“Did he ever make a good move. But there are several other horses to be concerned about. Wash N Wax showed talent. Then there’s Momas Work of Art. It’s going to be a good race. My fingers are crossed and I’m knocking on wood.”
Wash N Wax was winning his third race in his last four starts.
“He’s a nice horse and very well bred,” said trainer/driver Kelly Hoerdt, who also co-owns the son of Cattlewash out of the A Rocknroll Dance mare Typhoon, along with Leduc's Blair Corbeil and Carole Dunbar of Richardson, Sask.
Getting a pocket trip behind Telluride Hanover, Wash N Wax had to wait for the parked-out G TS Jukebox Jack to tire to make his move. When he did, he sprinted clear and then held off a hard-charging Outlawminutbyminut by three parts of a length.
Off of that late charge, Outlawminutbyminut is going to be very tough too.
“We got a good trip,” said Hoerdt. “To get another trip like that in the Derby would be sweet. He isn’t overly exerted going into the Derby.”
Hoerdt, like Campbell, fears Hands Off Harry.
“He had road trouble and had to come from a long ways back after a slow pace,” Hoerdt said of Hands Off Harry, who drew post three. “He’s going to be a big factor.”
Hoerdt also agrees with Campbell that the Derby is going to be a lot different than the elimination.
“There’s going to be lots of early action and lots of pace.”
Then there’s Wittup’s Derby horses: Momas Work Of Art, who was boxed in during the first elimination -- only getting loose at about the sixteenth pole -- and Picking Rocks, who won the shake for the final spot after finishing fifth in the second elimination. Momas Work Of Art drew post five; Picking Rocks got post seven.
“That’s good too,” said Wittup.
Wittup, who owns his 10 per cent stake in Momas Work Of Art with trainer Shelly Arsenault and legendary Don Monkman Jr., both of Sherwood Park, said getting boxed in is “just horse racing; it happens.”
“The main thing was to qualify for the Derby final.”
The top four finishers in the two eliminations moved onto Saturday with a draw for the trailing spot taking place between the two fifth-place finishers, which went to Picking Rocks.
Wittup owns longshot Picking Rocks with Gray, Wilson and High River breeder Jim Rhodes.
Momas Work Of Art was last year’s Champion Alberta-Bred Two-Year-Old Colt. This year, he has won three of 10 starts along with four seconds and the third in the Derby elimination -- a race where he was favoured. His big win came in the $118,400 Ralph Klein Memorial at Century Downs on Aug. 2 when he defeated Hands Off Harry by a length and a quarter.
“He was so impressive that day. I thought good he’s going to be second, but he just kept coming and coming,” said Wittup.
Wittup said Momas Work Of Art, who has the most money won of the Derby finalists (just under $200,000) has matured quite a bit from his two-year-old year. He can get a little 'rammy' but he’s got a beautiful stride.
“It’s a tough field. It’s also an even group. Nobody has been dominant. Everyone is going to need a little luck go there way.”
To view Saturday's complete harness racing entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Century Mile.
(Curtis Stock / thehorses.com)