Whiskey Tax is one of nine Hambletonian eligibles who will step out in the first round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes for three-year-old colt and gelding trotters on Friday, June 3 at the Meadowlands Racetrack
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The Revenue gelding, trained and co-owned by Tom Durand, will make his Meadowlands debut in the fifth race, the second of two $22,000 NJSS divisions on the card. Rated at 4-1, he will start from post four with Yannick Gingras at the lines. Whiskey Tax will try to use the New Jersey Sires Stakes program as a springboard to the $1.5-million Hambletonian, harness racing's greatest prize, on Saturday, August 6 at the Meadowlands.
"I jogged Whiskey Tax at the Meadowlands this morning," Durand said on Thursday. "It was really hot and humid when we shipped in last night, and he was sweating a lot. I had to give him a bath last night to cool him off.
"I don't know where he stacks up as far as the Hambletonian type colts are concerned yet, but that's the biggest reason why I'm here," he continued. "I wanted to see how he handles the track and some upper level horses. We want a serious test. It'll give me a clue as to where we might be on August 6."
Whiskey Tax hit the board in four of his nine starts for earnings of $104,532 last season. His best effort was finishing second to divisional champion Pastor Stephen in the Champlain at Mohawk. He also earned cheques in the $539,000 Valley Victory and $485,000 William Wellwood Memorial Trot finals. Those efforts convinced Durand to aggressively stake Whiskey Tax as a three-year-old.
Whiskey Tax is perfect in two starts this season after rolling to respective 1:57 and 1:56 victories at Woodbine and Mohawk.
"The drivers [Randy Waples and Scott Zeron] told us his two wins this year were easy," Durand said. "He didn't extend himself at all and came out of them well. He's actually a lazy horse and doesn't do any more than he has to. He's not heavy big, but a tall horse that can certainly handle the mile track.
"This horse has no problem finishing strong. He's never given up at the end of the mile yet. He left well from post nine in his last two, yet he kind of got his way because he was the favorite and everybody wanted to follow him. I told both drivers he would race better from off the pace, but they both end up on the front end. I would love a following trip with this horse here because when he bears down in the long stretch he'll go by horses.
"I never work him too hard, maybe a 2:20 or 2:30 mile in between races if it looks like he's feeling good," he added. "We've had a lot of bad weather at home and I didn't get the work I wanted into him. I managed to get a mile in 2:05 on my farm track before we shipped here."
Durand credits his wife, June, with selecting the son of Revenue-Bourbon Belle out of the November 2009 Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg, PA. The Durands co-own Whiskey Tax with Allan Smith of Oakville, Ontario. The gelding was bred by new Meadowlands track operator Jeff Gural [Little E LLC].
"When we walked in the door at Harrisburg, this horse was in the second stall and June immediately wanted to buy him," Durand said. "He didn't sell until the fourth day, and she insisted on sticking around. We got him for $18,000.
"We've got another Revenue that's a year older, and we really like them. The ones I've had stay sound and they try hard. We had to geld [Whiskey Tax] because he was too aggressive when he saw mares, we couldn't handle him and he was going to hurt somebody. Now he's really quiet.
"We actually bought him with the intention of eventually having a nice older horse, but he went on at two, making over $100,000 and that surprised us. Revenues generally don't do that and he did it on his own. We didn't push him at all, so we're fortunate."
Durand, 54, of Puslinch, Ontario, has 15 horses stabled at his 50-acre farm near Mohawk Raceway. He is best known for his work with trotters, including two-time O'Brien Award winner and millionaire Casual Breeze. Whiskey Tax is his most promising Hambletonian prospect thus far.
"Everybody who trains horses dreams about the Hambletonian," he said. "I had one in the eliminations in 1990 named Roughing It, but he made a break. That was the only time we flirted with greatness."
(The Meadowlands)