“It’s like he could sense the qualifiers didn’t matter and just didn’t care. Under the lights, he’s a totally different horse.”
John Campbell and Bob McIntosh have proven to be a winning combination over the course of their thirty-year partnership. Their latest protégé promises to be a tough competitor this season.
Go Daddy Go will be looking to continue his sophomore campaign in a winning fashion in the $78,767 Somebeachsomewhere for three-year-old pacing colts at Mohawk Racetrack.
McIntosh has seen his fair share of talented horses, with $94.3 million in lifetime earnings since his legendary career began in 1984. Having conditioned starters with over 4,000 wins, he is hopeful another will be added to the tally this Saturday night.
Go Daddy Go is well positioned to make good on that hope. He posted a mark of 1:51.1 over the Meadowlands as a two-year-old, banking nearly $400,000 in fourteen starts. The son of Ponder returned to the track at the start of May, putting in three qualifiers before winning in an impressive fashion at The Raceway at Western Fair in an Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event.
“He spent the winter at Peninsula Farms with Carter Duer,” said McIntosh. “When I picked him up, I was really happy. He grew four or five inches, even grew some length. He really matured.
“He trained down without a hitch and sound. We qualified him three times but he was nothing special in those qualifiers.”
The chestnut posted times of 1:54.3, 1:52.2 and 1:53.3 over Mohawk, but the Campbell-McIntosh partnership knew he had more to give.
He was certainly ready to go in London, winning easily in 1:53.1 by seven lengths, driving away from the field. Owners Dave Boyle, Diamond Creek Racing and McIntosh were pleased to see his strong performance.
“John (Campbell) is the best person to give feedback on a horse and we’ve got a very valuable relationship. He said the colt wasn’t firing home in the qualifiers but at London, he said ‘we’ve got our horse back’.
“Those qualifiers are the reason I have a few new grey hairs. He didn’t do anything wrong but he was lackluster. I did a little work on his front feet which seemed to help, but warming him up (at Western Fair), I knew he seemed good.”
The three-year-old will have his work cut out for him Saturday at Mohawk, drawing the dreaded ten-hole with real speed to his inside. A challenge for the horses that prefer to be forwardly-placed in the mile, McIntosh believes he has what it takes to overcome it.
“I think he’ll be okay (in the ten), it’s not the first or last race of his career. He’ll make a good effort, have to get away and a bit forward but you learn a little more about these horses every time they race.
“Once the draw came in, I said to John ‘Buddy, I don’t even buy programs anymore. We’re in there and I’m not driving him so you better figure it out!’ I don’t tell any of my drivers how to drive; you never know what will happen when the wings fold.”
Go Daddy Go is among the group of 47 three-year-olds still eligible to the North America Cup on June 20, the highlight of Mohawk’s summer meet.
“There’s some intimidating three-year-olds out there but after the Governors Cup and the Breeders Crown, I thought to myself that he belongs with the best. I’m not saying he’ll dominate in there but if they mix it up on the front end, hopefully he can be there to pick up the pieces.
“After the North America Cup, he’ll give us some answers on where to go next. As of right now, I’m not thinking beyond that race.”
The O’Brien Award finalist is paid into events including the Milstein Memorial, the Meadowlands Pace and the Breeders Crown which will be contested at Woodbine Racetrack this year. Though McIntosh doesn’t have his schedule planned out yet, the stakes calendar is full of options for his talented colt.
“Last year, he showed that he’s much better than a Sires Stakes horse, he can go with the Grand Circuit colts. I’m a huge supporter of Ponder and I think he’ll throw some more good ones.”
Ponder finished the 2014 Ontario Sires Stakes season ninth in the stallion standings, with his offspring racking up $232,750 in 50 starts. Go Daddy Go part-owner Diamond Creek Farm also hold the ownership papers on the stallion.
Go Daddy Go finished off last season with a gritty effort in the Breeders Crown and impressed his conditioner.
“I was pretty pumped last year after (the Breeders Crown elimination) at the Meadowlands,” said McIntosh. “Unfortunately in the final he had his own bad luck, a horse broke in front of him and he didn’t settle in.
“He had to go three-wide the whole way home. Most of the time, when a horse tries to pull that off, you’re distanced. He managed to do it and rally for fifth.”
As for what racing fans will see trackside on Saturday night, Go Daddy Go will be looking to bring home some new hardware.
“He was great coming out of the OSS Gold, he’s on his hind legs, he’s feeling good. He’s ready for the races.”
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Mohawk Racetrack.
(with files from WEG)