"He's certainly right in the mix. To win in 1:50 in March, that's really saying something. And he's got all the tools."
Trainer Ron Coyne is no stranger to Grand Circuit success with a sophomore pacer and he's thrilled to once again have a stakes contender in unbeaten three-year-old National Debt.
Coyne spoke to Trot Insider on Monday after the Allamerican Native colt rolled off his second straight 1:50.3 mile at the Meadowlands, the most recent coming this past Saturday in the final of the Buddy Gilmour Memorial Series.
"He came out real good, he recovered real quick after the race...he got back and he blew right out. He trained good and he seemed real fresh after."
National Debt is now six-for-six in his career and doubled his lifetime earnings with the Gilmour win for Alberta co-owners Kelly Hoerdt, Erna and Blair Corbeil, and their new partner, J&T Silva Stables. Coyne has been deputized by Hoerdt to tend to his prize pupil while stateside and his work thus far has been impeccable.
"I hadn't seen him since he was a yearling, and he was a nice looking colt then," noted Coyne. "He's really blossomed into just a beautiful colt.
"I got him the first part of January -- Kelly had him out in Alberta, and they were having a real rough Winter -- so he got him trained down as best he could out there and he was sent out here to finish him off, finish training him and get him qualified and hopefully make the [Gilmour] Series, which we were lucky enough to do."
The connections were considering starting National Debt next in the Bossy Weiss Series at Mohegan Sun Pocono, but that plan has been scrapped in favour of a series in Canada. National Debt's next schedule start will be at Woodbine Racetrack in the opening leg of WEG's The Diplomat on April 26.
"Kelly told me that he really liked the colt out there, thought he was the kind of colt that might be able to make the jump to the next step and compete in the stakes, and ever since he got here he's really been a pleasure," continued the longtime trainer. "He's got a great demeanour to him, he's got a great gait...he's just a real pleasure to be around. He acts like he's got a lot of class and those kind of horses you're always excited to race, you want to see where they can go."
Coyne, whose stable currently consists of 10 horses, has had horses with the Corbeils for about five years. As previously reported, the owners of National Debt were adamant that any deals for a stake in the colt keep him in Coyne's care.
"It was a great confidence factor for them to believe in me," said Coyne. "It worked out really well that Mr. Silva stepped up at the last minute and bought a share of the colt and it just seemed to make everyone more comfortable that the horse was able to stay where he was. "
The winner of multiple training titles at Freehold Raceway, Coyne has also had his fair share of successful sophomores on the Grand Circuit. Since branching out on his own, Coyne has trained the likes of 1999 Adios winner Washington VC (defeating Triple Crown winner and Horse of the Year Blissfull Hall), 1996 Meadowlands Pace Consolation and Oliver Wendell Holmes winner Allstar Hanna, $930,000 winner Easter Sun Hanna and $530,000 winning pacing filly Musical Dreamer.
When asked how National Debt compares to these horses that have achieved Grand Circuit success for Coyne, he says that National Debt is "very rateable" -- a quality that should serve him well over this grueling three-year-old season.
"He's got such a nice demeanour about him and such an easy way of going...he carries his speed quite easily. It's up to him to see where that wall is going to be for him but we're going to see more than 1:50 out of him, that's for sure.
"It makes your job a little easier when they're so easy on themselves. It really just helps the colt."