“It’s pretty remarkable. She could of easily been a horse that didn’t make it to the races or did turn out to be much. Now, the thought of racing for that kind of money is remarkable. All we can do is hope for the best.”
In just 14 months, Greystone Ladylike has gone from a racing in the bottom-end condition claiming event at Western Fair to facing off against the best pacing mares in North America.
That leads to the question… is Greystone Ladylike another rags to riches tale that we have heard about in the past?
According to her trainer, Brent Belore, she is.
In just her fifth career start on May 22, 2012, the daughter of Stonebridge Regal competed for a purse of just $4,800 when she was entered in to a fillies and mares $10,000 claimer for non-winners of $10,000 lifetime at Western Fair. The result was her first career victory in 1:59.2.
Now, the pacing miss will compete against the sports best free for all pacing mares when she makes her next start in the latter elimination of the Roses Are Red Stakes this Saturday at Mohawk.
There wasn’t much hope for the swift pacer when she began her early lessons.
“She sure wasn’t the easiest to break,” Belore said with a laugh. “She was all over the track and scared of everything and just a handful. Even with the snow hitting her she would take off on me. She was just a scared, nervous filly.”
Even after Belore trained the 13-time winner down all winter, she was still unmanageable.
“I took her into Western Fair about four times before we even stepped onto the race track,” he said with a chuckle. “She wouldn't even see a harness. We would just walk her around the paddock and let her settle in. She was just a bundle of nerves and finally the fifth time, I waited until qualifiers were over and then I went out to jog her, just to get her use to things.”
Belore recalls the first time he took his stable star to Mohawk.
“That was an interesting experience. I was warming her up and she seen something she didn’t like and almost crashed into Mike Saftic. It’s never a dull moment when you’re sitting behind her,” Belore said.
So what has been the key ingredient to Greystone Ladylike’s success?
“Experience,” says Belore. “She’s not nearly as bad as she use to be and she’s found her speed. She’s starting to settle in. Don’t get me wrong, she’s still a bundle of nerves at times and will shake in the paddock, but she’s not nearly as bad.”
The long journey to success is something that Belore is certainly glad he took.
From 43 career starts, Greystone Ladylike has posted an attractive 13-14-2 record along with $235,484 in earnings. In 2013 alone, the bay has banked $155,190 from 18 starts, including seven wins.
It’s safe to say, this four-year-old lass has come a very long way in a very short period of time. In January of this year, Greystone Ladylike was racing in the non-winners of three class at Mohawk and now six months later, she has the opportunity to compete for $323,500 for owners James and Jean Caddey.
Scott Zeron will be at the helm from post two in the second and final $35,000 Roses Are Red elimination.
For free, printable program pages for Saturday's card of harness racing courtesy of TrackIT, click the following link: Saturday Program - Mohawk Racetrack.
(WEG)