The connections of Parlay are seeing nothing but upside on the 2009 horizon. With a full season of Ontario Sires Stakes racing in front of them
, trainer Ricky MacPhee has explained that the Kadabra colt's Post 10 starting spot this coming Monday is in no way dampening the connections' spirits.
“He’s become a nice horse. He goes to race,” said MacPhee, a resident of Cambridge, Ont. that shares ownership on Parlay with Harris O’Brien of Fort Erie and Robby Wiratmo Wibawa of Mississauga, Ont. “He’s a big, happy guy; he likes his work. It’s nice when they’re like that.”
In the six starts since Parlay made his racing debut, the big, happy trotting colt has amassed five wins and one second for earnings of $69,800. In last weekend’s elimination, he was an effortless winner, stopping the clock in 1:58.3 after turning back a three-quarter pole challenge from co-favourite Zero Boundaries.
“He’s a very happy horse. When he’s on the front end, his ears are always right up,” continues MacPhee. “But when Zero Boundaries made his move, our fellow was quite happy to take him on.”
Parlay has tackled every challenge with enthusiasm, rolling through four straight victories — including two legs of the Tie Silk Trotting Series at Woodbine Racetrack — before finishing a narrowly beaten second in the April 23 final of the Tie Silk, and MacPhee hopes the colt continues to progress as the provincial stakes season shifts into high gear.
“We just hope every day he keeps getting better,” says the trainer. “He’ll eventually bottom out, but I hope it’s not yet.”
A modest $5,000 purchase at the Summer Sizzler Mixed Sale last August by O’Brien, Parlay spent most of his two-year-old season nursing a sore knee so his owners were cautious in their outlook for the colt’s sophomore campaign. The results thus far have been well beyond their expectations, giving MacPhee his first Ontario Sires Stakes horse and Wibawa a whole lot of time off work.
“I’ve never had one in the Sires Stakes before,” says MacPhee. “This is my first actual contender; at least he looks like a contender.”
While MacPhee and O’Brien make their living with standardbreds, Wibawa manages the bar at the nearby Mohawk Inn, and hands off his apron each time Parlay heads to the racetrack.
“Robby books a week ahead for his day off,” says MacPhee with a chuckle. “He’s that excited, it’s unreal. Everything is ‘Parlay.’”
MacPhee says the three are united in their enjoyment of Parlay’s early season success, and in their hope that the colt becomes a regular player on the Gold Series circuit. A solid finish in Monday’s skirmish will assure the young trotter of a berth in the July Gold event, and MacPhee expects that driver Jack Moiseyev will be looking to get Parlay into the action early from the outside Post 10.
Veteran reinsman Moiseyev will be keeping an eye peeled for the other elimination winners, I Wont Dance and Hitithard, who will start from Posts 1 and 8, respectively.
The three-year-old trotting colts wage their $130,000 Gold final battle in the fifth race on Mohawk Racetrack’s Monday evening program, which gets under way at 7:20 p.m.
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(With files from the OSS)