If someone called you out of the blue and offered you seven figures for a piece of a horse, would you take it?
During a recent interview with the Woodbine Entertainment Group, Hamilton, Ontario-based owner Jim Carr explained that he recently got offered a boatload of cash for a piece of 2011 Pepsi North America Cup favourite Big Jim. In Carr’s usual polite fashion, he declined.
“I had a call before he qualified. I was offered a million (one million dollars) for a quarter of him. I didn’t even think about it. I just said ‘thank-you, I’m not interested.’ I’m going to keep the horse and go on with him his whole career.”
With an early 2011 slate which will see him pointed to the New Jersey Classic (Meadowlands, Saturday, May 21) prior to the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes, NA Cup and Meadowlands Pace, Carr is simply looking to enjoy the ride with Big Jim.
Carr explained that the Western Ideal colt paced a mile in 1:53 and change Monday, May 9 during a schooling race at Mohawk Racetrack for trainer James ‘Friday; Dean and driver Phil Hudon. “That’s where we wanted to go, right around there. We would’ve liked to have had a little bit of a faster half, but we had to pull him and he went the speed he wanted to go.”
Carr et al were hoping to see the 2010 O’Brien Award winner go a lot faster this Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack, as Big Jim had been entered to contest an Open Pace for three-year-olds, but the class didn’t come close to filling.
Big Jim has earned the distinction of being the one to catch early this year in the Glamour Boy division, but Carr explained that he doesn’t foresee a cake walk whatsoever.
“Well, I guess everybody is going to be after him. There are some good horses out there. I think Shadyshark Hanover is a really nice horse. Big Bad John, I hear, is coming along really well. He’s going to be tested. He’ll get beat some time over the course of the season, I’d imagine --- it’s not going to be a walk. Everyone figures that he’s at least one second the best. I think he’s going to have to work for every win.”