"No One Outstanding Horse This Year"

Many in the harness racing industry have said this season that there just isn't that standout three-year-old pacing colt. Add trainer Mark Steacy to that list

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In discussion with The Kingston Whig Standard after his student Foreclosure N 's fourth-place finish in this past Saturday's $1-million Meadowlands Pace, Steacy said he was just happy his charge struck some paydirt.

"Considering the post position and everything, he did pretty well (at the Meadowlands Pace)," Steacy was quoted as saying. He went on to say, "Any time you get a cheque out of the 10-hole, it's a good thing."

Discussing the 2011 Glamour Boy crop overall, Steacy said that Foreclosure N, along with others, is a player.

"There is no one outstanding horse this year," Steacy was quoted as saying. "A few years ago, there was Somebeachsomewhere (dominating the sport). There's nothing out there of that quality (this year). They are all good horses, but there is not a super, super horse. A half-dozen can win and (Foreclosure N) is one of them."

In regard to what the next few weeks hold for his pupil, Steacy said that the Rocknroll Hanover colt will be heading back to the Meadowlands Racetrack for the Oliver Wendell Holmes. "We're going to give him a little break for a week or two and let him freshen up a little bit," Steacy was quoted as saying.

(With files from The Kingston Whig Standard)

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Saturday night will be a hectic one at the Kawartha Downs oval for Steacy, as the trainer-driver will send out eight fillies in the second Ontario Sires Stakes two-year-old trotting filly Grassroots event of the season.

“That’ll keep me busy, I don’t usually drive that much in one day,” said Steacy. “It’ll be pretty hectic there for a while, because it could be a real good day, but it could be a real bad day. With two-year-old trotting fillies anything can happen.”

First to line up behind the starting gate from the trainer’s eight-filly strong entry will be Incredible Lucille, a daughter of Majestic Son that Steacy trains for breeder Peter Heffering of Port Perry, Ont., Landmark IV Racing Stable of Elginburg, Ont., David McDonald of Cornwall, Ont. and Dr. Malcolm Man Son Hing of Campbell River, BC. The horseman was drawn to Incredible Lucille, and to several of her stablemates, because they are from the first crop of sire Majestic Son, who earned $1.99 million racing out of Steacy’s barn from 2005 to 2007.

“Naturally I kind of preferred to look at some Majestic Sons, and she wasn’t real big, but she was pretty nice when she moved through the field,” recalled the resident of Lansdowne, Ont., who will steer the filly from Post 6 in the second $24,000 Grassroots division. “And she sold cheap, I thought, so that’s why we brought her home.”

Incredible Lucille required a bid of $15,000 at last fall’s Canadian Open Yearling Sale, and Steacy said the filly was a breeze to get started, as she caught on to all her early lessons with ease. The trainer noted that most of the Majestic Son offspring he purchased have been fairly easy to work with, and that those possessing a racier temperament have still been teachable.

“They can be a little fiery, but they seem to learn as they go along,” said the horseman. “They seem to learn from their mistakes.

“He’s doing really well considering, you know, I don’t think he bred the top mares,” said Steacy of the early-season results posted by Majestic Son offspring. “They’ve done really well. One of my partners told me that, I think, half of them have already qualified.”

From 16 OSS starters thus far, Majestic Son has already produced two Gold elimination winners and two Grassroots division winners. Although Steacy is not sure Incredible Lucille is poised to add to her sire’s win column, he is more hopeful about Miss Majestic’s prospects.

“I think Miss Majestic is a very nice filly. She probably could have went to the Gold — actually, Trevor Ritchie asked me to take her back to the Gold — but because it was on a half-mile track I chose to go to the five-eights track,” noted the horseman, who conditions Miss Majestic for Steacy Hing Bertrand of Lansdowne, Landmark IV Racing Stable of Elginburg, Bannon Stables of Napanee, Ont. and Diane Bertrand of Edmonton, Alta. “She’s always trained really well, and I’m hoping that she might be a little above average.”

Hampering Miss Majestic’s prospects in Saturday’s third race is her post position draw. Steacy will steer the filly from the Post 9, one of three appearances he will make in the trailing post.

“I’ve got three nine holes, and I’m not looking forward to that at all,” admitted the trainer-driver. “I entered eight horses and we didn’t draw so great, we’ve got a two and a three with two of them, but my better ones they drew terrible.”

Miss Majestic will start from Post 9 in the third race, while stablemates Lovely Vacation and Throw A Party get the trailing post in Races 9 and 10. Steacy is particularly concerned about how the post will impact Lovely Vacation, a fractious daughter of Ken Warkentin.

“Lovely Vacation, she can be a real handful, and I’ve got a feeling the nine-hole is really going to hurt her,” he said.

Shawn Steacy of Lansdowne, David McDonald, Dr. Man Son Hing and Joe Loring of Canmore, Alta. share ownership on Lovely Vacation.

Steacy’s other starters in Saturday’s Grassroots contest include Warrawee Nuke, who will start from Post 7 in Race 4; Stonebridge Sonata, who gets Post 6 in Race 5; Enda The Hall who will benefit from Post 3 in Race 6; and J N Lisa who has Post 2 in Race 8.

The two-year-old trotting fillies will open Saturday’s program at 7:00 p.m., and thrill Kawartha Downs fans in Races 1 through 6 and 8 through 10.

To view entries for Saturday's card of harness racing, click the following link: Saturday Entries - Kawartha Downs.

(OSS)