Amigo Volo might not be the same horse who set at least one world record at ages two, three and four in addition to capturing two Breeders Crown titles and a Dan Patch Award, but the now eight-year-old trotter is still producing winning performances and big miles.
In 35 races since the start of 2024, the son of Father Patrick-Margarita Momma has 13 victories among 26 top-three finishes, and his 1:50.4 win this past October at Woodbine Mohawk Park equaled the second-fastest mile by a trotter in Canada last season. He was an O’Brien Award finalist for the top older male trotter in Canada in 2024, an honour that ultimately went to Elitloppet-bound Logan Park.
Furthermore, Amigo Volo’s earnings of $390,146 during the past 17 months have pushed his career bankroll to $2.75 million. He'll look to add to that total in the $100,000 USD Grade 3 Maxie Lee Memorial Invitational for older trotters on Sunday, May 25 at Harrah’s Philadelphia.
“It’s pretty cool,” said Carter Pinske, who, along with Nifty Norman and Meg Crone, has trained Amigo Volo for owners Pinske Stables and David J. Miller. “He’s a special horse for my family and David Miller. Nifty has had a lot of great horses, but I think he would rank right up there with every horse that all of us combined have worked with.”
For his career, Amigo Volo has won 45 of 119 races and hit the board an additional 45 times. He has earned a paycheque in all but 15 starts. In addition to his Breeders Crown scores at ages two and three in 2019 and 2020, his victories include the 2020 Kentucky Futurity, two Matron Stakes, and a Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship.
So, what has contributed to Amigo Volo’s success and longevity?
“That’s the million-dollar question,” Pinske said. “I think everybody goes to the sale looking for a horse like him, and I don’t think there is one certain thing that you can pick out. The main thing is just his attitude. He loves to race, and he loves to win races. He knows when he wins.
“One thing I’ll say about the horse, and most people that work with him will agree with me, is that he’s the smartest horse I’ve ever been around. He just has brains. I always joke that he’s more like a dog than a horse. When we had him down in Florida, you could turn him out in the yard, and he would free graze and just hang out with you. He’s halfway human in that sense.”
Amigo Volo has participated in the past four editions of the Maxie Lee Memorial, with a best finish of third on two occasions. On Sunday, he will leave from post three with Todd McCarthy in the sulky for trainer Norman. He is 8-1 on the morning line.
“We never seem to have a whole lot of luck in it, but it would be good to win it once,” Pinske said. “He deserves to be in races like that. It’s a good field, but he’ll be competitive.
“He’s maybe not at the top of his game anymore, but when things click for him it’s like he’s walking. Everybody that’s driven him will tell you that you have no clue how fast you’re going, he’s just carrying you wherever he wants to go. He’s maybe not consistently the fastest, but he’ll throw in a mile here or there where your jaw kind of hits the floor.”
Amigo Volo earned $1.64 million as a Grand Circuit regular at ages two and three, but he has continued to shine in Opens and top-level conditions since then.
“He’s quietly earned the last $750,000 without being in the limelight,” Pinske said. “He’s kind of grinded it out, done it the tough way. We keep him in Canada because he seems happier in kind of the cooler weather, and he likes the track up there.
“He might show up in Kentucky for a couple weeks just to change scenery. But this is definitely where he’ll end up; he’ll be in my backyard in Kentucky.”
A fitting spot for a horse that has meant so much to those around him. Amigo Volo gave Pinske his first win as a trainer in 2019 and also gave Pinske Stables its first Breeders Crown champion that same year.
“In a way, he’s been a part of the family,” Pinske said. “My wife (Makenna) and I, when he was a baby, was when we started working for Nifty together. The horse has given us a lot of ‘firsts’ both as a family, my wife and I as a couple, and with Nifty because that was really my start with him. It was special then, and it’s been special since. He’s been a key component to the Pinskes and harness racing all the way around.”
The 5-2 morning-line favourite in the Lee Memorial is Sir Pinocchio, a five-time Grand Circuit winner last season. Millionaire Aetos Kronos S and last week’s Arthur J. Cutler Memorial third-place finisher Antognoni S are both 3-1.
Sunday’s card at Harrah’s Philadelphia also features the $100,000 USD Betsy Ross for older female pacers, which marks the return of 2024 U.S. Horse of the Year Twin B Joe Fresh, and the $100,000 USD Joseph Auger Memorial Invitational for older male pacers. Both are also Grade 3 events.
The Auger Memorial field includes 2024 Dan Patch Award winner Abuckabett Hanover, 2023 Dan Patch Award winner Bythemissal, two-time defending race winner Ruthless Hanover, and recent Grade 1 MGM Borgata Pacing Series winner Mossdale Ben N.
Racing begins at 12:40 p.m. (EDT) at Harrah’s Philadelphia. For a free TrackMaster past performances program, click here.
(USTA)