Even though we started him out pretty lightly, when he won his first lifetime start I thought 'we've got the right horse here'."
The countdown to the 2016 Pepsi North America Cup continues, with Trot Magazine profiling the horses predicted to be the top contenders for Canadian harness racing's richest prize.
At 15-1, Racing Hill is the second Tony Alagna trainee to crack Trot's 2016 Pepsi North America Cup Spring Book Top Ten, coming at #6.
The son of Roll With Joe won half of his ten starts as a freshman, counting back-to-back scores at The Red Mile plus his Breeders Crown elimination among his most notable victories. A $22,000 yearling purchase, Racing Hill boasts a mark of 1:51.2 and $147,412 in earnings for owner Tom Hill of Hamilton, Ont. Alagna provided Trot Insider with an update.
Where did he winter?
"He wintered at Hunterton Farms in Kentucky and then he shipped down to me around the first of January."
When did you bring him back in to start training?
"He came down to Florida around the first of January."
Where are you at with him? (as of March 30)
"Same thing [as American Passport]. I trained him the same day, he's been in 2:00 as well. He'll ship North this weekend with American Passport."
Have you noticed any changes from last year to this year?
"He looks phenomenal. He's really grown up and filled out, looks fantastic."
Did you feel Racing Hill or American Passport needed to add much size from two to three?
"I don't think so. They showed that they were more than capable as far as their size and their weight and everything at two, I just think it always helps if they can put a little extra on, a little more muscle, weight, height coming into their three-year-old year because the battles are that much deeper."
When will he qualify and what's his early schedule looking like leading up to the Pepsi North America Cup?
"Same schedule, pretty much the same thing [as American Passport]" with qualifier early part of May and pointed to the Somebeachsomewhere.
At what point last year did this horse show you North America Cup-level talent?
"He'd baby raced so well and then Randy Waples had driven him that night at The Meadowlands... he snuck through horses and got through late, and Randy said 'this is a real nice colt.' This was somebody who'd never sat behind the horse, sat behind the horse and he won and he was very complimentary. Everybody that's driven him has felt the same way."
What makes this horse such a great competitor?
"He's just a talented horse. He can do it either way, he can leave, he can come off the pace, I think he's got a lot of tools."
Any other reports on North America Cup-eligible colts in your stable?
"Voracity is training back super. He went in the same set as Racing Hill the other day, so I'm really happy with him. The other horse I've got that's kind of a sleeper is Mindtrip, he was second to Control The Moment in the Dream Maker last year and we had to scratch him out of the Metro elimination because he came up sick on us. He's training back really good."