Horses that win major races and awards can rarely return to the races quietly, and a pair of millionaires were back in action in qualifiers on Friday afternoon -- one after a five-year hiatus from active competition.
Up The Credit garnered attention with his return to the races during Friday's qualifying session at Mohawk Racetrack. The 2011 North America Cup and O'Brien Award winner was standing stud at Mac Lilley Farms for the 2019 breeding season, and he last raced in the summer of 2014 during and just after PEI's Old Home Week.
Phil Hudon was in the sulky for Up The Credit's return on Friday. The son of Western Terror - Cantbuymehappiness paced his mile in 1:56.1 for trainer Stephanie Jamieson and owners Carl Jamieson of Puslinch and Joanne Morrison of Beeton, Ont. Up The Credit sports a record of 1:48.3 taken as a five-year-old with more than $1.3 million in career earnings.
Stateside, 2016 Dan Patch Award winning older trotter Obrigado made a quiet return after being retired by his connections a year ago. The eight-year-old son of Boy Band - Malimony finished second in a qualifier at Freehold Raceway, individually timed in 2:01.1 for driver Rene Sejthen.
"He has quietly been back in training over the summer and doing very well. Certainly an unforeseen surprise," trainer Paul Kelley told Trot Insider, who noted that the plan is to qualify Obrigado at Freehold again next week. "He’s an amazing animal."
Sporting a summary of 45-16-11 from 92 lifetime starts with more than $1.8 million in earnings, Obrigado has major Grand Circuit wins in the Dayton Trotting Derby, Crawford Farms Trot, John Cashman Jr. Memorial, Cleveland Classic, Charlie Hill Memorial, Maxie Lee Memorial, and the TVG Open Trot Championship. Kelley now owns part of the trotter with S R F Stable and Linwood Higgins, and he's thrilled to have him back in the barn after a bittersweet retirement announcement in 2018 where he felt that the horse "was as physically good this year as he ever was" in his five years of training.
"He’s very special. He loves being in the barn and on the track. It’s just fun every day having him around."