Southwind Chrome is still finding his way as a racehorse, but trainer Paula Wellwood likes the direction he is heading. The colt went unraced at age two because of an injury, and Wellwood has since tried to expose the colt to a variety of racing styles in preparation for this coming Saturday’s appearance in the 93rd Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Southwind Chrome has recorded one win from seven races and has finished second on four occasions. One of his runner-up efforts came in the final of the Empire Breeders Classic, which was won by Six Pack by a half-length. Six Pack is the 2-1 morning line favourite in the second of Saturday’s two $100,000 Hambletonian eliminations. Southwind Chrome is in the same division and has been assessed at odds of 5-1 early. The top-five finishers from each elimination will return later in the day for the $1 million final.
Coverage of the Hambletonian and $500,000 Hambletonian Oaks for three-year-old female trotters will air live from 4 - 5:30 p.m. (EDT) on CBS Sports Network. First-race post time for Saturday’s stakes-filled card at the Meadowlands will be at noon.
“We’re maybe not as seasoned as the other horses,” said Wellwood, who won the 2016 Hambletonian with Marion Marauder. “It’s only his eighth lifetime start. But what he did in the Empire Breeders (final) in his third start was unbelievable. He’s a pretty quick study, but he is still a little green and trying to figure out his style of racing. We’ve tried to expose him to all different styles, so we’ll see how that goes.
“That’s up to the driver.”
That would be Scott Zeron, who will drive Southwind Chrome in his elimination. Zeron, who won for Wellwood with Marion Marauder on their way to the Trotting Triple Crown, may not be available for the final, as he will also be driving filly Atlanta in the first elimination. Atlanta, the lone filly in the race and 3-1 second choice in her heat, is trained and co-owned by Zeron’s dad, Rick.
“If we get lucky enough to make the final I know we’ll be looking for a driver, but we’ll cross that bridge when we come to it,” Wellwood said. “(Zeron) likes ‘Chrome,’ too. He commented that he’s got two nice horses. He’s not underestimating him.”
Southwind Chrome, pictured with Mike Keeling (Mark Hall / USTA)
Southwind Chrome is owned by the Dreamville Stable, which is comprised of Wellwood, her husband Mike Keeling, son Devin Keeling, and mom Jean Wellwood. Devin and Jean are the owners of Marion Marauder. Southwind Chrome, a son of Chapter Seven out of Counter Pointe, was purchased for $60,000 at the 2016 Lexington Selected Sale.
“We had some of the family and always liked the mare,” Wellwood said. “We looked at (Southwind Chrome) and really liked him. He was our first Chapter Seven that we bought, and the fact he was a Chapter Seven was an added bonus.”
Southwind Chrome was lightly staked, but it was not because of a lack of talent.
“We gave him a lot of time and brought him back and he struggled a little bit,” Wellwood said. “That’s why he’s not heavily staked. He had a couple of struggles in the winter training down with his gait, but once he got to qualifying, he just changed. He started to excel.
“We wanted to make sure the Hambletonian was on his card because he always showed a lot of ability. We started him out and he exceeded our expectations, he’s never let us down.”
He also never gets down.
“He’s a very honest, happy horse,” Wellwood said. “He’s just a very pleasant horse. He’s not a big horse but he’s a very strong horse. He doesn’t seem to get tired. That’s one of his keys. He’s just done everything right, so we thought we would take a chance. He’s raced very well. We felt he deserved a shot.”
And hope he finds his winning style.
The fields for the Hambletonian eliminations appear below.
Hambletonian Elimination 1
(PP-Driver –Trainer-Morning Line)
1-Shoshie Deo-George Brennan-Dewayne Minor-10/1
2-Evaluate-Orjan Kihlstrom-Marcus Melander-15/1
3-Mets Hall-Andy Miller-Julie Miller-10/1
4-Lawmaker-David Miller-Andrew Harris-8/1
5-Wolfgang-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter-5/2
6-Crystal Fashion-Tim Tetrick-Jim Campbell-7/2
7-Atlanta-Scott Zeron-Rick Zeron-3/1
8-Hat Trick Habit-Andy Miller-Scott DiDomenico-12/1
9-Zephyr Kronos-Jimmy Takter-Jimmy Takter-10/1
Hambletonian Elimination 2
(PP-Driver –Trainer-Morning Line)
1-Fashionwoodchopper-David Miller-Jim Campbell-10/1
2-Patent Leather-David Miller-Jim Campbell-15/1
3-Classichap-Trond Smedshammer-Trond Smedshammer-6/1
4-Alarm Detector-Trevor Henry-Benoit Baillargeon-10/1
5-Fourth Dimension-Brian Sears-Marcus Melander-10/1
6-Southwind Chrome-Scott Zeron-Paula Wellwood-5/1
7-Tactical Landing-Jimmy Takter-Jimmy Takter-4/1
8-You Know You Do-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter-8/1
9-Six Pack-Ake Svanstedt-Ake Svanstedt-2/1
(USTA)