Veteran pacer Tattlers Jet celebrated a special milestone on Saturday night at Northville Downs as he scored his 100th career win
in a $4,000 conditioned assignment.
With Ronnie Wrenn Jr. in the bike for trainer Gene Miller, the 13-year-old gelded son of Tattlers Torpedo-Jodhpurs got away sixth from Post 7 in the 10th race. Tattlers Jet followed cover while Anvil Raider N (Eric Carlson) carved out fractions of :27.1, :56.4 and 1:26.3, but then angled out three-deep around the final turn and kicked home in :29.4 to prevail by one length in 1:57.1. Favourite Butn Your Shirt Ed (Jason Merriman) and Ive Got The Key (Peter Otten) finished second and third over Anvil Raider N.
Tattlers Jet paid $35 for the 16-1 upset. The victory was his first of the season in 10 starts.
There are a lot of rags to riches stories throughout harness racing, and this one ranks right up there as one of the best.
Tattlers Jet, owned by David Carter of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, was just a two-year-old when he began his racing career in Cannon Falls, Minnesota. Although he finished last, Carter knew the colt had potential so after the educational race, he brought him back as a three-year-old. Competing mostly in Wisconsin at the fairs, Tattlers Jet hit the board only two out of 20 starts. Most of us would have thrown in the towel by the end of the season, but not Dave Carter.
Over the next couple of seasons, Carter continued to race Tattlers Jet in the Midwest, each year gaining more experience and bankrolling a little more cash. It wasn’t until 2007 when Tattlers Jet showed the world what he was made of. Racing at Colonial Downs, Tattlers Jet took a mark of 1:50.2 - a feat very uncommon for a horse with deep Wisconsin roots. Perhaps even more amazing was the following year he took a winning mark of 1:51.3 and 1:50.3 the year after that.
This isn’t uncommon to Dave Carter, but all of Wisconsin was shocked when 12-year-old Tattlers Jet stopped the timer in 1:49.2 in 2010 to become the fastest horse bred and raced in Wisconsin. With earnings of more than $274,000, Tattlers Jet has shown all of Wisconsin what a bright future a small town Wisconsin horse has in his aging years.
Tattlers Jet and owner Dave Carter were honoured at the Wisconsin Harness Horse Association’s annual banquet earlier this year on Saturday, January 22, with the James Laird Memorial Award For Excellence.
Just goes to show you what a
Just goes to show you what a horse will be able to do when they are let mature instead of gutting them at a young age. A credit to the ownership and trainers ideals. My hats off to them