Berthiaume's Luck Changing?

Many can relate to some troubles standardbred owner Richard Berthiaume encountered earlier this season. He ran into bad luck with some of his stock, but luck has a way of working itself out

. The events of this past weekend could prove to be a turning point for the Quebec-based owner.

Berthiaume's six-year-old Astreos mare Voelz Hanover kicked off Mohawk Racetrack's outstanding Saturday card by nailing a major career milestone in Race 1. With a gritty wire-to-wire victory from Post 8 in the $32,000 Fillies and Mares Preferred Pace, in a career-best 1:50, the distaffer topped the $1-million mark in career earnings. She's the first horse to reach that milestone for the 65-year-old Berthiaume, who has been a prominent owner 40 years now.

"That was a super race. She worked for it. She's a true warrior. Everyone hopes to have a horse like that," said Berthiaume, who had a good weekend, with his three-year-old pacing colt Odysseus Bluechip, who finished second in his Adios elimination at the Meadows to qualify for this coming weekend's $500,000 final.

He'd need to win the Adios to top one of Voelz Hanover's exploits: capturing the $300,000 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final at age three. That's the largest purse ever won by one of Berthiaume's horses.

Since starting her career with three straight victories in Montreal, Voelz Hanover has added 18 more in four years of racing.

She was supposed to be a broodmare by now, but a match with Mach Three in 2008 didn't take and she resumed competition at age five after a year off, collecting $277,940 and finishing second to Dreamfair Eternal in the Breeders' Crown final for pacing mares.

At one point, Voelz Hanover and stablemate Yursa Hanover both seemed destined for millionaire status, and it wasn't clear who would get there first.

But Yursa Hanover struggled this year and was sold privately to U.S. interests six weeks ago. The Windsongs Legacy mare earned in excess of $900,000 with a win in the 2009 Matron and runner-up finishes in both the Breeders' Crown and Goldsmith Maid in 2008.

Her sale, and the death of promising trotter Talespinner from a virus earlier this year, leaves Berthiaume with 19 horses. He'll be itching to add more come fall. "I can't help myself at the auctions," he said. "I always come back with four or five."

(A Trot Insider exclusive by Paul Delean)