On Saturday (August 14), veteran pacer Rockin In Heaven became harness racing’s newest millionaire, doing so after enduring multiple recoveries from near career-ending incidents.
“It's been the highlight of our lives,” said co-owner Gordon McComb of Rockin In Heaven’s eight seasons of racing. “He’s taken us to Delaware, New York, Florida, and all over.”
McComb and Douglas Polley of Paris, Ont. watched Rockin In Heaven, a son of Rock N Roll Heaven - Tropics Beachgirl, earn millionaire status with his fourth-place finish in a conditioned event at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The nine-year-old horse started racing in 2014 and has competed in some of the biggest races in the standardbred industry while facing some of the sport’s preeminent performers. He raced in the Little Brown Jug, Canadian Pacing Derby, Gold Cup Invitational and Gold Cup and Saucer, while boasting victories in the Empire Breeders Classic and Somebeachsomewhere Stakes along the way.
Rockin In Heaven has been trained by Dr. Ian Moore and Teesha Symes during his racing career, and McComb gave the talented trainers full credit for putting 'Moe' in the position to race as long as successfully as he has through to today. “Teesha and Dr. Moore have done an amazing job! I wouldn’t have a horse if it wasn’t with Ian or Teesha.”
Rockin In Heaven sports $1,000,498 earnings and has done so in 181 lifetime starts. He has 38 wins with a mark of 1:49.2 taken at Mohawk as a six-year-old. What makes this milestone more impressive is that Rockin In Heaven was able to keep going after multiple medical setbacks during his career. According to Symes, the popular pacer has a knack for getting himself into trouble the minute she takes a rare break from training.
“Every time I try to go on vacation, this horse tries to die,” Symes said half-jokingly. “His first was his throat surgery. A few vets at the time said this could be career-ending but he bounced back from that and earned a few hundred thousand since then.”
The second incident occurred when Symes was on vacation in Las Vegas, but the life of a horse trainer does not stop.
“He’s a very needy and spoiled horse so he bangs his gate when he wants something. He banged his knee so hard he had an atheroma the size of a softball. It was x-rayed and we were concerned about him. J Harris was driving him, and I told him to make the call. He went out and raced in 1:49 that night.”
Symes was caught outside the country again when she was on a cruise when Rockin In Heaven had his most recent severe medical emergency. “The last thing was he had an allergic reaction to Robaxin. He went into complete kidney failure. It took him three shots of epinephrine to bring this horse back from his allergic reaction, but it killed his kidney.
“He was at the University [of Guelph] for almost two weeks with complete kidney failure. His body was shutting down and couldn’t retain anything. He was released a bit early because he needed to get back to his routine and after two more days it was a complete turnaround.”
Symes has been with Rockin In Heaven his whole life, acting as his only groom when he was under the tutelage of Dr. Ian Moore. She took over training full-time in 2017, and Rockin In Heaven was the first horse she trained full-time. Looking back at everything that has happened to this horse, Symes does not know how this horse keeps on performing after everything he has gone through. “It’s mind-blowing. Every time he takes another spill, I don’t know we are going to get up from this, but he does.”
Rockin In Heaven will continue to compete for his current connections until the horse gives them the indication that his racing days are over.
“I think it’s up to him. He’ll tell us when he’s done. He always has the stud career to fall back on as well.”
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Trey Colbeck)