The countdown to the 2018 Pepsi North America Cup is on, with Trot Magazine profiling the horses predicted to be the top contenders for Canadian harness racing's richest prize.
At 12-1, Shnitzledosomethin comes in at #4 in Trot Magazine's 2018 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book.
Owned by BFJ Stable, Tom Lazzaro, Ed Gold and Abraham Basen, Shnitzledosomethin amassed an impressive 6-4-2 record from 13 starts with $355,337 in earnings. Trot Insider caught up with trainer Dylan Davis for an update on the son of Fred And Ginger.
Where did he winter?
"He went down to Chris Coyle's [Olive Branch Farm] in North Carolina."
When did he start back?
"I started back with him in mid-January; that seems a little early but I wanted to allow myself some time for bad weather and sickness, stuff like that...I didn't want to be rushing him at all."
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
"There weren't many changes mentally...he's still very full of himself, very immature. Physically, he was always a big stocky colt. He didn't grow much in height but he's a lot broader, a lot more muscular and mature."
Where is he at now?
"I worked him yesterday (April 13) in 2:00. I'm kind of glad I allowed myself for extra time because we had an issue with colic about a month ago and he spent a weekend at New Bolton...so he missed about 10 days there. Thank goodness it was nothing major other than a gas colic and they just had to keep his intestines moving. No surgeries."
What will his early schedule look like leading up to the Pepsi North America Cup?
"I would like to qualify him one time here early May on the East coast and then he will go to my barn in Indiana, and he'll qualify again at Hoosier Park, and then race in the Indiana Sires Stakes elimination ...and then if all goes well the final the following week, and from there he'd go to the North America Cup."
What does his tentative schedule look like after Pepsi North America Cup?
"He's going to go back to Indiana and do all the Sires Stakes there. We've got him staked to the Hempt, we have him staked to the Breeders Crown again...like last year, he'll spend the majority of his time in Indiana."
At what point last year did you think this horse was North America Cup material?
"Right around the Indiana Sires Stakes Super Final. My owners said something about the Breeders Crown...the people that own him, Howard Taylor and Tom Lazzaro, they all have a pretty good opinion of horses. They own a lot of good horses and so when they wanted to do it, they must have seen something that they liked as well. He was second in his elimination of the Breeders Crown, and I knew right then that I belonged."
What's his biggest strength/best attribute?
"How athletic he is. For a big, strong horse like him, he's very athletic and very graceful. He covers so much ground, he has such a big stride and he's just very light on his feet for a big horse. And he's very quick. In my years of training, a lot of big horses can go bigger, tougher miles but they're not as quick on their feet as maybe a medium-sized horse. with him, very quick, very light on his feet, very good-gaited...no interference anywhere. And I think that's going to carry him a long way. "
How does it feel to have a horse not only worth staking to the North America Cup but one that looks to be a major contender?
"Very lucky, I'm very lucky to have the owners I have, I appreciate the work that they give me and it's a great feeling to know that they have enough trust in me to train a horse like that."
Previous Profiles:
► Trot N.A. Cup Spring Book: #5
► Trot N.A. Cup Spring Book: #6
► Trot N.A. Cup Spring Book: #7
► Trot N.A. Cup Spring Book: #8
► Trot N.A. Cup Spring Book: #9
► Trot N.A. Cup Spring Book: #10