Some horses simply get better with age. One of them is Undercover Strike, who, at the advanced age of 13, has been one of the nation's hottest performers.
"We claimed him for $30,000 at Mohawk in October (of 2019)," owner Krystel Simard said in a recent COSA TV feature. "We lost a couple horses that week, and he was just the one we had an eye on. Even though he was old, we went for it, and I don't regret it today."
After being beset by injuries and out of action through most of 2020, the Striking Sahbra gelding returned to action under the care of trainer Guy Gagnon in October, and has been competitive ever since. In fact, Undercover Strike recently amassed an eight-race winning streak, which began when he narrowly won an optional $10,000 claiming race at Rideau Carleton Raceway on Dec. 6. He since stepped up to optional $15,000 company and reeled off seven more wins at that level — none in front-trotting fashion or by more than 2-1/4 lengths, and tested Preferred trotters on March 28 where his winning streak ended.
Given her employment as part of Anthony Beaton's operation in southern Ontario, Simard hasn't been able to have a hands-on connection with Undercover Strike, whom she owns with her aunt, Catheline Pelletier. Despite the distance, her affection for the trotting veteran — who has won 46 times in his career and banked over $700,000 — has not dulled.
"I don't see him race anymore since he's in Ottawa with Guy Gagnon," she continued. "We keep in touch, and I keep in touch with the groom who has him pretty much every week. He loves his bananas, so I make sure he has them. It's different, but he's doing so well. He's happy racing, and I'm just lucky. He's a great animal; he's always happy."
The goal now is for Undercover Strike to reel off five more wins, at which point Simard has indicated she would retire him. But win, lose or otherwise, the trotter will never need for a home to live out his post-racing days.
"Regardless if he does or not, he has a home for life," Simard said. "He was there for me in the toughest time, and I'm happy with what we've got now."
The entire feature appears below: