Carl Jamieson is not sure how fast Warrawee Needy can pace, but he does know that, so far, the two-year-old colt has not broken a sweat
en route to the winner’s circle.
“Jeez, I don’t know, he can go pretty fast,” says the trainer, who will harness the brawny pacer for the third time in Monday’s $130,000 Gold Final at Mohawk Racetrack. “I mean who knows. He won last week there, taking him back all down the lane, in 1:51 and change so he can go likely in 1:50 or 1:49, but I don’t know. He never seems to put himself out to do it anyway.”
Jamieson picked Warrawee Needy out of last fall’s Canadian Open Yearling Sale for what he considers a bargain priced $20,000. The colt’s three-quarter brother Big Bay Point had paced in 1:49 last summer and banked $265,704, and Jamieson liked the cross of Cam Fella son E Dees Cam ($896,207) with Great Memories, a daughter of Apaches Fame and $304,285 winner Save The Memories.
“The horse wasn’t expensive, that’s for sure, at $20,000. I would have paid $50,000 for him, if you want to know the truth,” recalls Jamieson. “I was prepared to go to $50,000 on him and I bought him for $20,000, I couldn’t believe it.
“He was a good looking colt, great gaited, great conformation, crossed right,” continues the Princeton, ON resident. “Everybody was scared of E Dees Cam, I said I wasn’t buying E Dees Cam, I was buying Warrawee Needy.”
Once Jamieson had secured ownership of Warrawee Needy, he turned his attention to putting a partnership together. Toronto resident Tom Kyron and Jarvis resident Floyd Marshal each took a share, as did the colt’s breeder Dr. Michael Wilson of Rockwood, with Jamieson retaining a partial interest. Through the winter the trainer kept his partners apprised of their colt’s progress, and earlier this spring he let them know Warrawee Needy might just be something special.
“I told everybody, oh a couple months ago, that he was the most improved horse in the barn as far as speed-wise and stuff was going,” relates Jamieson. “He seemed to have more speed than most of them at that time; I guess he really did.”
Warrawee Needy made his first charted appearance in a June 11 qualifier at Mohawk. In rein to Jamieson’s son Jody the colt was an effortless five and one-quarter length winner in 1:57.1, pacing home in a sparkling :26.3. One week later Warrawee Needy made his official debut in a two-year-old event at the Campbellville oval, cruising to an effortless looking two and one-quarter length victory in 1:53.1. However, what really got fans and horse people talking was the colt’s astonishing last quarter clocking of :25.2.
With all eyes turned his way in last week’s Gold Elimination, Warrawee Needy proved his first two results were no accident. After sitting behind pacesetter Machal Angelo for much of the mile, Warrawee Needy stepped out around the final turn and accelerated away from the field to a seven length triumph in 1:51.4. Driver Jody Jamieson sat motionless in the race bike, and when the margin of victory turned into open lengths even seemed to apply the brakes.
“Carl Jamieson’s horse makes all of us look like we are racing for second place already,” admits owner-breeder Michael Timpano, whose Jake Sully captured the other Gold Elimination. “But there is the story of David and Goliath, right.”
Hampered by Post 9, Jake Sully may need intervention of biblical proportions to score a victory in Monday’s Gold Final, but Timpano admits he is looking forward to seeing just how fast his colt can go when up against the likes of Warrawee Needy.
“Jake, he’s got faster every single week. Sooner or later he’s going to let us know that is the limit, but right now we don’t know. I’m looking forward to seeing how fast he can go,” says the Orillia, ON resident, who praises the jobs done by trainer Symon Pryjma and driver Aaron Byron to get the Grinfromeartoear son into the Gold Final.
With speculation continuing to build around the question of just how fast Warrawee Needy can go, harness racing fans from across the continent will be tuned into Mohawk Racetrack’s Monday evening program. The first race gets under way at 7:10 p.m. and the two-year-old pacing colts will take centre stage in Race 8.
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To view results for Monday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Monday Entries – Mohawk Racetrack.