Monday’s eighth race at Western Fair will have Ohio based trainer Dan Ater in the viewing audience from the winter training centre at Hawkinsville, Georgia.
He says he'll be wondering, like everyone else, is this finally the day the winless streak will end for Grissini?
“He’s a smaller horse and he’s having a much better year in 2009 than he did last year,” Ater says. “His last couple starts in London Grissini is showing the signs of coming into his own again. He raced first over last time and only got beat by a nice horse, Shadywood Baron, that followed his cover. Monday, hopefully, is the day he gets the monkey off his back, so to speak. The credit for the decision to send him to a half mile track goes to my assistant up at Mohawk running my Ontario stable, Jason McGinnis.”
For the record, the eight year old Cams Card Shark gelding owned by Ater's Out On A Limb Stable hasn’t won since July 14, 2007. That score in 1:53 was in a $7,000 Open Pace at Scioto Downs carded by the Ohio track’s General Manager of Racing Operations, Stacy Cahill.
“He went through a succession of starts at Woodbine from December through February where he never had a draw better than post seven,” McGinnis says. “At the start of March we made the decision to discontinue Lasix for him and he’s coming around. Monday we have the draw luck inside. Mike Whelan seems to be a good fit for him and we’re going back to Mike to drive him again."
Ater’s Travels, Perspectives, Agenda
Ater says he’ll soon be sending at least six, and possibly seven horses from winter training in Georgia north to Ontario. He says he’s enjoyed operating a satellite stable in Canada for over two years and it’s given him a perspective to make comparisons of several jurisdictions.
“I’ve never had a problem racing or getting horses entered in Ontario, but being from Ohio, I’m afraid I can’t say the same for how things are in the neighbouring states around me here,” Ater says. “In Pennsylvania, Indiana and Delaware they’ll only take your entry if they really need you. That’s different from Ontario where if you have your papers, your integrity, and the horses you think can compete, then you are welcome to race. I think the way of doing business in Ontario is best for the quality of racing, competition, and the betting public.”
The 54-year-old horseman from Clarksburg, Ohio is also entering the second year of his current term as a Director of the United States Trotting Association.
“It’s been really interesting to see behind the scenes all of what goes into governing things in the organization,” Ater says. “As an owner and trainer one of the issues I’m going to lobby hardest for is reciprocal licensing. Owners that have been with me for a lot of years say it’s a big obstacle since all of the States demand to be paid for licenses. Whether we could ever all agree on a single license process seems like a big mountain to move, but it’s a top issue with me and I’m going to do what I can” he adds.
Along with the intrigue concerning Grissini in Monday’s Preferred-2 Pace at Western Fair, the performance of the Molson Pace eligible Grand Bend Turbo will be closely watched as well. The seven-year-old stalwart of the Jim Ainsworth Stable and career winner of over $782,000 will be racing on Lasix for the first time in the same event. Grand Bend Turbo was the runner-up to Eagle Luck in the 2008 edition of the London track’s marquee event. This year’s Molson Pace eliminations are just over five weeks away on May 22.
Dean Wall – First To $100K
Dean Wall has become the first trainer to surpass $100,000 in purse earnings in the 2009 campaign at Western Fair Raceway.
The trainer surpassed the milestone on the April 7 card when three-year-old Rambaran gelding No Huddle finished third for owner Dawn Walker of Arkona, ON in a $7,800 conditioned test. Dean marked his 40th birthday just over eight weeks ago and recently surpassed the milestone of 600 lifetime training wins. Dean and his prolific driving dad, Dave, operate a 30-horse stable from a home base west of London in Komoka, ON .
Through June, post time at Western Fair each Monday and Tuesday afternoon is 3:35 p.m. and every Friday evening at 7:05 p.m.
(Western Fair Raceway)