“All along I knew he was as good as anything out there. He’s just one of those trotters that is kind of like a rotten little kid. He doesn’t care if he gets in trouble or not.
He doesn’t care when he makes a break or what kind of race it is or even if he’s going for a lot of money.”
During his freshman and sophomore campaigns, he always showed great promise and his conditioner, Kelly O’Donnell, certainly had faith in Big Rigs’ ability, yet whenever the colt had the opportunity to move to the top of his class, it seemed he would rather be sitting in a corner wearing a pointed cap emblazoned with the letter ‘D’. His victory, however, in the Matron Stake has rewarded his connections continued patience and provided high expectations for his return to the races in 2012.
Big Rigs is a son of Andover Hall and Filly At Bigs. His dam earned more than $650,000 during her harness racing career, was third in the Hambletonian Oaks and won the World Trotting Filly Derby as a three-year-old. The colt was purchased for $70,000 at the 2009 Lexington Selected Sale by Miller’s Stable, DM Stables and Ed Mullinax after O’Donnell thought he looked the part of an athlete and also liked his lineage.
Big Rigs has earned $558,886, sports a resume of 25-8-3-5 and possesses a lifetime mark of 1:52.2.
He captured his debut at Pocono Downs on August 9, 2010 and a $98,490 Champlain Stakes division at Mohawk Raceway in his third pari-mutuel mile, before finishing second in his $28,800 elimination for the William Wellwood Memorial. The colt made a break in the $485,000 final the following week and then had his picture taken in his $25,000 Breeders Crown elimination at Pocono Downs on Oct. 1, 2010. Once again, Big Rigs decided to break in the $600,000 Crown final and finished last in a field of nine. He rebounded to win an $88,500 division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile, before ending his season with a third in an $89,300 division of the International Stallion Stakes.
“He was kind of a growthy horse and took maybe just a little bit of extra time,” O’Donnell remembered. “I don’t think we started baby racing him until July, so he was a little bit of a slow learner, but once we got him started he caught on pretty quick. He won his eliminations for the Wellwood and Breeders Crown. He was interfered with by other horses in the Breeders Crown and I think that scared him, then he made a couple of breaks in some real bad spots like in the final of the Wellwood.”
The colt won this year’s seasonal bow, a $67,404 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes contest at Harrah's Chester on May 30, then finished third in his $25,000 Earl Beal elimination at Pocono Downs and then was fourth in the $500,000 final the following week. After a sixth in a $33,350 division of the Reynolds Stake at Pocono Downs, Big Rigs was a sharp second to Chapter Seven in the $166,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial at the Meadowlands on July 16 and appeared poised for a big effort in the upcoming Hambletonian.
That, however, was not meant to be.
In his $70,000 Hambletonian elimination on July 30, Big Rigs and former stablemate Bambino Hall hooked wheels during the race, causing them both to go off stride and not make the final.
“He was probably going to be second, third or fourth and make the final, but they hooked wheels at the three-quarter pole, so that killed his Hambletonian hopes,” O'Donnell said.
Big Rigs won a $99,506 division of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes in his next start on August 10 at The Meadows, then picked up the second place check in the $200,000 Sire Stakes final on Sept. 5 at Chester.
He finished fourth in the $38,700 Keystone Classic on Sept. 21, also at the Meadows, and then hit the wire third in two heats of the Kentucky Futurity at The Red Mile on Oct. 2.
True to his prior form, the colt captured a $113,000 division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile on Oct. 9 and then traveled to Woodbine to contest the Breeders Crown. Once again, Big Rigs decided to be his own worst enemy and broke in his elimination, which once again left him out of another lucrative event final.
“We went from Lexington where there were no breaks and he won in 1:52.2, which is his lifetime best, to the Breeders Crown,” O’Donnell said. “He had the eight hole in his elimination, left the gate with a first quarter in :27(.2) and at the half was relaxed, totally loose-lined and perfectly positioned behind Manofmanymissions. Then coming off the final turn and with no reason he broke again. We were kind of starting to think he was allergic to money.”
After his Breeders Crown debacle, Big Rigs’ next performance was a fourth in his $58,315 Matron Stakes elimination at Dover Downs on Nov. 6 and then on Nov. 13, the colt finally decided to live up to his potential when he took the $174,940 Matron final in a track record 1:52.4.
“I was tickled pink to win the Matron after all the heartbreaks from the Hambletonian on,” O’Donnell said. “Manofmanymissions had already been retired, a couple of other ones weren’t in there, but to finally beat Chapter Seven, who probably had five lengths on him coming home until he (Big Rigs) dug in down the lane and won by a length and a quarter, and Broad Bahn, while breaking the track record, finally proved he was a real good colt. He should have $1.2 or $1.3 million, but he’s made some bad breaks.
“Hopefully he’ll be over that next year, when we bring him back,” he continued. “He should be bigger, stronger and more mature. After the way he raced in his last start at Dover, he should come back really strong as a 4-year-old. Right now we are going to give him some days off, then jog him every other day and turn him out every other day for a month. Then we will get him ready again and he will be eligible to all the big ones.”
(USTA)