She has been called “Bratty Hattie.” She has been called “The Freak.” But most significant of all, Jurassic Hattie has been called a blessing.
Bred and owned by Ohio’s Jerry Welch, Jurassic Hattie has finished no worse than second in all 12 of her career races, winning nine and earning $nearly $300,000. She is five-for-five this season and the 9-5 morning-line favourite in the $100,000 USD Moni Maker Stakes for three-year-old female trotters on Saturday, July 6 at Eldorado Scioto Downs.
Action from Scioto Downs and The Meadowlands will be featured on "America’s Day at the Races" from 8-11 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday on Fox Sports 2 (FS2). Scioto Downs’ card also includes the $100,000 USD Nadia Lobell for three-year-old female pacers and four $150,000 USD Next Generation events for Ohio-sired two-year-olds.
Jurassic Hattie, a daughter of Volstead-High Gear Sahbra trained by Eric Nesselroad, enters the Moni Maker off an Ohio Sire Stakes win by 9-1/2 lengths in 1:52.3 at Scioto Downs. No sophomore trotting filly has gone faster on a five-eighths-mile track this season.
All nine of Jurassic Hattie’s lifetime victories have come by a minimum of two lengths and average of nearly seven lengths.
“She’s a once-in-a-lifetime horse,” said Welch. “She loves doing her job and she is very professional. She knows what her job is and she wants to do it. When she goes out there, she has one purpose and that’s to win. She loves it.
“She’s been a blessing. She’s a lot of fun.”
Welch names his horses with the “Jurassic” prefix, which was the idea of his grandson, Colt. The name for Hattie came to Welch from out of the blue.
“I was trying to come up with a name and Hattie just popped into my head,” he said.
From the beginning, Jurassic Hattie was an attention-getter.
“She’s been special since she was born,” said Welch. “Andy Burkholder does my breeding and foaling, and he told me, ‘This little girl can trot.’ When I went and saw her, she would just stick her head in the air and her tail in the air and trot around like ‘Watch me.’
“She was very personable. One thing with Volstead babies -- and I’ve had five of them -- they want to be in your hip pocket. They like people. We bonded. There is just something about her. She’s just fun to be around.”
And a little mischievous as well, which led to her nickname, "Bratty Hattie."
“She was always into everything,” said Welch. “Nothing mean, nothing bad, but if you came in there with a brush, she was going to have the brush. Stuff like that. She wants to fool with you. She’s always been like that.”
Around the track, Jurassic Hattie is known as “The Freak,” after trainer Rosy Weaver approached Welch prior to racing at the Delaware County Fairgrounds and asked, “Where’s your freak?”
“It just kind of stuck,” Welch said with a laugh.
Welch, who owns a general contractor company, had been involved with different breeds of horses prior to getting started in harness racing in 2017. His first horse was Big Booty Rudy, a pacer who enjoyed success at the Ohio fairs.
“From there, it just grew,” said Welch. “I really enjoy it. I like raising babies. It’s really been a blessing to me and my family.”
In Saturday’s Moni Maker, a Grand Circuit event, Jurassic Hattie will face six rivals. The group includes 2023 Goldsmith Maid Stakes winner Pizzelle, multiple stakes winner Allegiant (last season’s fastest two-year-old female trotter with a mark of 1:52.2) and Indiana standout Skyway Paige, who finished second by a neck to Ponda Title in last year’s Sire Stakes championship.
“She’s never really been tested in any of her races, but I’m sure this one, she might get that opportunity,” Welch said about Jurassic Hattie. “There are several nice ones in there. It’s going to be an exciting race.
“One thing about [Jurassic Hattie], she will never embarrass you, no matter what. She will always go out there and try as hard as she can.”
As for her future, Jurassic Hattie and her connections will remain focused on racing in Ohio for this season.
“Ohio has a great racing program, so other than this, we’re focusing on the Ohio stakes,” said Welch. “We don’t want to over-race her. After this year, then we’ll probably start looking at the Grand Circuit.
“We want to continue to race her for as long as we can. She’s a hoot, there is no doubt about it.”
In the Nadia Lobell Stakes, the Ron Burke-trained entry of Seaside Diva, Pass Line and Lou Lou is the even-money morning line favourite. Seaside Diva is unbeaten in five races this season while Pass Line was the 2023 Ontario Sire Stakes champion and O’Brien Award winner for two-year-old female pacers.
The field also includes Rose Run Zoey, coming off a 1:49.4 Ohio Sire Stakes victory at Scioto Downs, and 2023 Dan Patch Award winner Geocentric.
Racing begins at 5:52 p.m. (EDT) on Saturday at Scioto Downs. A free race program is available on the track’s website by clicking here.
(USTA)