The richest day of harness racing in British Columbia is set for Sunday (Nov. 6), with four $100,000 final races featured on B.C. Breeders Classic Day at Fraser Downs.
Kelly Hoerdt could be poised for a big day, which would be headlined by his two-year-old pacing colt, Mickie Mantle (Custard The Dragon - N Y Yankees). Hoerdt drives and co-owns this $27,000 yearling purchase, who currently rides a four-win win-streak after winning the first four legs of the Robert Millbank Memorial. His development throughout the year has been distinct, but it hasn’t been a surprise to his driver.
“He’s progressed very well. He had everything in place to be a nice colt, right from day one, including the conformation,” Hoerdt told John Rallis, writing for Trot Insider. “I bought his full-brother [Joe Dimagio] originally as a yearling. I got this colt up in the ASHA Yearling Sale, and my partner Fred Gilbert and I – along with Christopher Lancaster – were all very interested in this colt. So we decided, instead of bidding against one another, that we’d collaborate on this colt – and here we are.”
Initially, Hoerdt had the training duties when he started off racing this colt over in Alberta, but that changed when he made his way to British Columbia for his stakes tests.
“I had him in the early-going in Calgary, but then when he went to B.C. to race, I already had a barn full of horses. I noticed Chris (Lancaster) didn’t have many horses over there, so I decided to let him take over the training duties for this colt, and it’s worked out nicely.”
To say that it has worked out is an understatement. The colt is a perfect four-for-four under Chris Lancaster, winning all four legs of the Robert Millbank Memorial in relatively easy fashion. He is the obvious choice to win the $100,000 final, but Kelly doesn’t want to discount anyone else in the race.
“There’s definitely three or four decent colts in there. Any one of them with the right trip could be there. I guess the obvious threat is Jim Marino’s [Shots Fired]. Interestingly enough, we underbid on him as a yearling.”
Hoerdt will also have strong representation in the $100,000 Robert Murphy Memorial Final for three-year-old pacing colts. He sends out three starters, including the full-brother to Mickie Mantle — Joe Dimagio. While 'Joe' didn’t have the same early success as his younger brother, he seems to be coming together at the right time.
“There weren’t many similarities between Mickie [Mantle] and Joe [Dimagio]," noted Hoerdt. "Joe had lots of issues as a colt; it wasn’t until I gelded him that he started pacing much better. He was never really comfortable pacing as a two-year-old until he was gelded. Once he grew into himself, he developed into a real nice colt. He’s got a good shot on Sunday.”
Along with Joe Dimagio, Kelly Hoerdt will also send out starters Lets Tie One On (Vertical Horizon - Just One More) and Chuck You Farlie (Custard The Dragon - Guthrie Hanover). After winning three out of the four legs, Lets Tie One On is the 9/5 morning line choice heading into Sunday’s final. When asked if there was a standout among his three starters, Hoerdt indicated he thinks it will come down to trip.
“All three have an equal shot depending on how the race sets up. Richard Lancaster and Jim Marino have colts in there [Itll Be Fine and Joe Rich] who will pose a big danger, but luckily for me, they both drew to the outside of me. That’ll definitely benefit my colts.”
As for who Kelly will drive in the Robert Murphy Memorial final, the choice may surprise some.
“I took Chuck You Farlie because he’s a bit tougher to handle. He has some quirks to him; he’s one of those horses that needs a driver who has had experience driving him, instead of someone who isn’t as familiar. That’s why I passed up driving Joe Dimagio. The others are a little more versatile, but with Chuck You Farlie, you have to be tentatively aggressive with him. He’s trickier to drive and I know him very well. But don’t kid yourself, he has talent.”
Hoerdt will look to do something he’s done just once in the Breeders Stakes: sweep every leg along with the final. He did that once in 2019, and he’s looking to repeat history this Sunday.
“Well, if [Mickie Mantle] is fortunate to do it, it would be my second time sweeping every leg of a Breeder’s Stakes Final. I did it with Kneedeep N Custard as a three-year-old. I swept all four legs and the final in 2019. But that was his three-year-old season, whereas I’d be looking to do it with Mickie Mantle as a two-year-old.”
As for whether this colt is one of the best he’s sat behind, Hoerdt says it’s too early to tell.
“It’s too soon to tell whether he’ll end up being the most talented. He’s up there in the early stages, but I need to see one more year to really tell. I just hope he gets the job done Sunday and we can keep going from there.”
First post time for the B.C. Breeders Classic Day card of harness racing is 1:00 p.m. (PST). Stakes action kicks off in the third race with the $100,000 Betty Millbank Memorial Final for two-year-old pacing fillies, followed by the $100,000 Robert Millbank Memorial Final in the fifth. Sophomores round out the stakes action in the seventh and eighth races with the $100,000 Robert Murphy Memorial Final for colts and the $100,000 Mary Murphy Final for fillies.
To view the entries for Sunday's stellar card, click one of the following links: Fraser Downs - Sunday Entries || Sunday Program Pages (courtesy TrackIT).