After a dominant straight-heat win of the 2019 Little Brown Jug, the connections of Southwind Ozzi plan to once again face the best three-year-old pacers in harness racing and this time pay handsomely for the privilege to do so.
Trainer Bill MacKenzie confirmed to Trot Insider that the connections of Southwind Ozzi will pay the supplemental entry fee to race in the $500,000E Tattersalls Pace on Sunday (Oct. 6) at The Red Mile. The supplemental entry fee depends on the number of divisions, with entries closing for the Tattersalls Pace on Thursday morning (Oct. 3).
MacKenzie arrived in Lexington on Tuesday morning, one day after Southwind Ozzi shipped in. The son of Somebeachsomewhere hasn't raced since his sesnational straight-heat win of the Little Brown Jug in Delaware, Ohio. There was never any consideration to racing in the Bluegrass this past Sunday as the race doesn't accept supplemental entries and according to his trainer it was too close to his two-heat day at Delaware.
Southwind Ozzi has won nine of his 11 races this season for MacKenzie and owners Vincent Ali Jr. of Old Bridge, N.J. and Alma Iafelice of Cranbury, N.J. Those wins include the Jug, the $400,000 Adios and the $253,000 PASS Final at the Meadows. Career-wise, Southwind Ozzi has now won 10 of his 18 starts and earned $763,263 in purses.
One thing will be different with Southwind Ozzi's start on Sunday: the track size. His 11 sophomore starts have been on five-eighths and half-mile tracks. His start at the one-mile Lexington oval will be his first start over a two-turn track since the 2018 Kindergarten Final at The Meadowlands on November 3.
The move to the bigger surface will only benefit Southwind Ozzi according to his trainer.
"I don't think his best racing is a half," MacKenzie told Trot Insider. "I mean, he can do it, but I think his better racing, honestly, is the bigger tracks."
Looking forward, there could be more racing over the larger surface as MacKenzie did confirm that the 2019 Breeders Crown at Woodbine Mohawk Park is in their sights.
"Our game plan is supplement to the Tattersalls and then off to the Breeders Crown if everything goes well."