Trainer Jack Darling has his hands full with Carnivore, who was an impressive winner in his $100,000 division of the Burlington Stakes on June 13 at Mohawk Racetrack
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Carnivore came from fourth at the head of the stretch to win by a neck in 1:51.3 and he is headed to Saturday's eliminations for the $1.5 million Pepsi North America Cup at Mohawk Racetrack.
"The name fits him," said Darling, who also owns the son of Real Desire. "He's quite a handful and he'd like to take a bite out of you if he could. You have to be careful, he's just always playing."
Darling was very pleased with Carnivore's stretch drive to win the Burlington, and noted that it seems to suit his temperament.
"How about that? I was very happy," Darling said. "He kind of came in between horses and things opened up for him and he shot through. He's really nice in a race, he's got a nice soft mouth and he really relaxes. We found out that he likes to get up in the hunt early and kind of get in the race. If you just drop back with him, he doesn't seem to get in to it. He wants to be up where the action is."
Darling has been prepping Carnivore at Mohawk, with one win and two seconds in four starts. Carnivore has turned in only one sub-par race this year, when he finished sixth, beaten more than nine lengths on May 30 in a three-year-old tilt.
"He threw in one clunker," Darling said. "I still really don't know why he did. I expected a big race out of him and he just didn't kick in. The only thing we can think of is that (driver Paul MacDonell) kind of took him off the gate and (the horse) said, 'The heck with it,' and didn't kick in after that. I didn't find any good excuse why he raced poorly that day."
Darling has made a shoeing change in advance of Saturday's race.
"We've found when we bring him up to this track, we've got to put quite a bit of borium on [his shoes]," he noted. "He just seems to need a lot of grab there. Today I put four aluminum (shoes) on him for the first time. It's a little risky, but I've had good luck putting them on. He was wearing steel, full swedge with a rim of borium [in the Burlington]. He's good gaited; I don't think it will hurt him. There's always a little risk involved, but I did it years ago with Northern Luck and Gothic Dream and it worked. When they get to be three, I like to put the aluminums (a lighter shoe) on; it's kind of an ace in the hole when you need a little bit. It just helps them."
Before he knew he had speed, Darling was attracted to the colt's looks when he picked him out as a yearling. Carnivore is a half brother to Cartniverous, who won last year's New Jersey Sire Stakes for three-year-old fillies, and his mother, Party Planner, is a half sister to Not Enough, who won last weekend's Lismore Pace at Yonkers Raceway.
"He was just one of those types that you're looking for - just had a presence about him," he recalled. "A really good looking horse. I got him from Perretti Farms at the Lexington Select Sale for $65,000."
While Carnivore is staked to most of the major races, one he isn't in is the Meadowlands Pace.
"He's in everything else, but I skipped the Meadowlands Pace, probably being a little bit cheap," said Darling.
One track he'll definitely be back to is Lexington's Red Mile, where he won every one of the five races he contested there last year, including his career best time of 1:50.3 in winning a Kentucky Sire Stakes final.
"He loves the Red Mile, he's never been beaten there, so we're looking forward to that," said Darling. "They have a nice Kentucky Sire Stakes final for $300,000 in Carnivore's future). It's the footing, he just gets over that track really nicely."
(Harness Racing Communications)