Speed Again will be looking to astonish his trainer once again when the two-year-old pacer goes to post for Mohawk Racetrack's $50,000 final of the Dream Maker
Stakes on Tuesday evening.
The brown son of Dragon Again--Sand Speed scored his second lifetime win, a two and a half-length decision in his $20,000 elimination, taking a new lifetime mark of 1:52.2 in the process.
It wasn’t his speed that amazed trainer Jeff Gillis; although he was tickled by his student’s performance, he was taken aback just by the fact that Speed Again actually won.
“The last quarter was kind of flashy,” he said, of Speed Again’s :26.2 final quarter. “It was tailwind-assisted a little bit, but more than anything the horse in front, Dr. Ian Moore’s colt (Spinarama), set the race up with a relatively slow middle half for him. I was just a little surprised that we got up and went by.”
Gillis purchased Speed Again as a yearling for $82,000 at the 2010 Lexington Select sale. He felt the pacer had a nice video, fluent gate and was a pretty ‘correct’ individual.
The Hillsburgh resident says his gelding’s story is pretty plain and uneventful, which was why his effort in his last start came as a shock.
“He was a ‘middle of the road’ kind of colt training down,” the conditioner admitted. “I had concerns that he was going to be a fast horse, but not very deep and to this point he’s carried his speed a little further than I thought he would. To be completely honest, he’s been a bit of a pleasant surprise. He’s improved a little bit each time out and to this point over achieved.”
Speed Again has won both on the lead (on July 4) and from off-the-pace (in his elim), but Gillis is hoping his trainee will catch some cover in the final, as his win from the front was not by design.
“It was a race where the heavy favourite made a break and they weren’t going very much and we just kind of floated to the lead,” he said. “He has a tendency to get a little wired up, so I’d like him to settle off the gate, hopefully mid-pack somewhere and he’ll probably be first or second-over.”
The conditioner is hoping luck will be on his side Tuesday because he has some doubts.
“I am very, very nervous because most of my barn has struggled recently and he had been pretty good,” Gillis said. “I just fear that coming into a final he won’t be as good, but he seems good and is healthy. We are just going to cross our fingers.”
Gillis’ plan is to take it a week at a time and see how the gelding does in the Dream Maker. If Speed Again continues to improve, the Nassagaweya and Metro Pace will be next for him.
The gelding has a record of 2-1-0 from three starts in his debut season with $22,750 in earnings for Gillis, Ken Henwood, Mac Nichol and Gerald Stay.
Speed Again will leave from Post 3 for driver Jody Jamieson. First-race post time is 7:10 p.m.
To view entries for Tuesday's card of harness racing, please click the following link: Tuesday Entries - Mohawk Racetrack.
(WEG)