When James Downer of Langley B.C. bought Artistic Madison last July at the Tattersalls Summer Sale at the Meadowlands, the thought that she would be racing for a share of $370,000 in the Roses Are Red final on Saturday night at Woodbine Mohawk Park was beyond bizarre. Six days after his mare qualified for the final, it hasn’t really sunk in yet.
“When we bought her, it was to make some money over the fall and winter but she just got better and better. This is the thing all owners hope for but at the start she was just a diamond in the rough... Carmen [Auciello] has done a fantastic job with her.”
As far as even making the final, the elated owner told Trot Insider, “It was a total surprise and really unexpected. I didn’t think she was going to make the final, with the field being as tough as it was and with having a horse like Pure Country chasing us down the lane – it was nerve-wracking but she's a special mare, Artistic Madison.”
Downer was skeptical in the winter to pay the nomination fees for the Roses Are Red and Milton Stakes, but with reassurance from his trainer, Carmen Auciello, Downer figured it would be worth the money.
“He told me that when she is on her game, she can go with these types of mares. He’s the boss, so his confidence in the horse helped,” Downer said.
When Auciello made the trip to the Meadowlands last summer, Artistic Madison wasn't on their radar as a potential purchase.
“I wasn’t there,” Downer recalled. “We had eyes on a few others but we missed them, so I had thought that we weren’t going to find anything there.”
Luckily for them, Artistic Madison was to be sold later on in the sale.
“When she came into the ring, Carmen texted me and said, ‘She looks like a beast, let’s get her instead,’” and the rest is history, as they say, for James Downer.
Artistic Madison took a new lifetime mark of 1:51.1 at Mohawk in September, and over the last 11 months she has racked up more than $125,000 in purse money for her owner. The $28,000 USD price tag seems somewhat inexpensive now.
Nearing the end of the Woodbine meet this past spring, the connections agreed that a month off before the move to Mohawk would be in the best interest of the seven-year-old Artistic Fella mare.
“She didn’t seem herself near the end of the meet, so we thought a few weeks off would do her some good, and she came back stronger,” Downer said.
After the time off and the track change, Artistic Madison hit the top-two in five of her next six starts, including what is Downer’s largest win to date, a victory in the $30,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred on May 5, at odds of 38-1.
When asked if the $370,000 would be the largest purse he had ever competed for, the answer was clear: “Absolutely, not even close! Before I got into the Ontario market, I owned some in Alberta and B.C. and the largest purse [I raced for] was $20,000. So when she won the Fillies and Mares Preferred in May, that became the largest purse I had ever won before.
“A second-over trip would be ideal with live cover,” Downer said when asked about the trip he hopes to get, “but that’s in a perfect world.”
However, the B.C. resident is realistic when discussing his mare’s chances.
“She can wire a cheaper field but that’s not going to happen against these mares. The race seems wide open so I hope for some movement and flow – she can finish strong. J.D. [Jonathan Drury] is a great driver and he’ll find a good spot for her.”
Her strong finish in the elimination last week, pacing the joint-fastest last quarter in the race (:26.2), was just enough to keep last year’s Breeders Crown champion older mare Pure Country from nabbing the last spot in the final.
Noticeably radiant throughout the telephone interview, Downer said he is making the journey across the country to watch his horse navigate the unknown waters of the Grand Circuit in person.
“You know what? Honestly, I don’t know how long it will take for this to sink in… It’s a dream come true for me as an owner. I’m just a working-class stiff, really,” Downer said, with a chuckle. “This whole experience, getting to the final… It’s priceless.”
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Justin Fisher)