Murray Weber is not afraid to take a chance on a horse other trainers have passed over, and the resident of Putnam, Ont. is hoping that the risk he took on Protégé Seelster will yield a few more dividends in Sunday’s two-year-old trotting colt Gold eliminations at Mohawk Racetrack
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“I’m a guy, I’ve never spent too much money to buy a yearling,” Weber explained. “This horse didn’t look that good and he didn’t stand that good, but I’m willing to take a chance on one like that.
“We sold that colt last year, Hibbler, so I splurged a little bit. Not too much, but a little bit,” added the horseman, who offered up $10,000 for Protégé Seelster at last fall’s Forest City Yearling Sale.
What Protégé Seelster lacked in looks, he made up for in pedigree. The Striking Sahbra son is the third foal, and first colt, from $801,377 winner Pepi Lavec. Once the young trotter arrived in Weber’s barn he progressed steadily though his lessons until being struck by spring fever.
“Near when we were getting him ready he got a little silly on us, seeing a lot of things and stuff,” recalled Weber, who responded to the gelding’s giddiness by moving to a closed bridle.
With five starts under his belt, Protégé Seelster seems to be settling down again, and Weber says he is currently wearing an open bridle and a shadow roll.
“He used to want to get up in the rigging pretty good when he was jogging, but he’s starting to relax now,” says the horseman. “He’s coming to himself a little bit now we’ve got a few races into him.”
After winning a June 22 qualifier at Mohawk in 2:01.1, Protégé Seelster made his debut in the Bud Light Stakes at Flamboro Downs on July 4. Sent off the favourite, the gelding made an early break and finished well back in seventh. A second qualifier followed on July 11, and once again the youngster laid down a perfect mile to hit the wire eight and a half lengths on top in 2:00.4.
Making his Ontario Sires Stakes debut in a Gold elimination at Mohawk on July 16, Protégé Seelster and Jody Jamieson were sitting third on the outside when they suffered interference and the gelding made another break. In the qualifying ranks for a third time, Protégé Seelster posted another 2:00.4 victory, and Weber dropped him into an August 2 overnight at Flamboro Downs where Fred Jamieson engineered a flawless 2:02.3 victory.
With that confidence builder under his belt, Protégé Seelster logged a runner-up finish to Reach Higher in Gold elimination action at Flamboro on August 9, but in last weekend’s final he bounced off-stride at the three-quarter pole.
“What made him break this week, I don’t know,” Weber said. “I think it’s the Mr Lavec in him.”
Protégé Seelster makes his third Gold elimination start from Post 6 in the third race on Sunday, and Weber is shopping for a new driver as Jody Jamieson will steer the gelding’s former stablemate Ja El Express from Post 4. Weber and Fred Jamieson work alongside each other every day, and Jamieson piloted both Ja El Express and Protege Seelster to victory in their respective June 22 qualifiers, then sold Ja El Express to current owners Jeff Gillis of Guelph and Ken Henwood of Mississauga, Ont.
The former stablemates square off for the first time on Sunday, and while Ja El Express will be looking to restart his win streak after pulling up in the August 9 elimination due to broken equipment, Protégé Seelster will be concentrating on maintaining his focus and earning a spot in next week’s $130,000 Gold final.
“I just hope we get a little piece of it,” says Weber philosophically.
The top three finishers from each of this weekend’s three Gold eliminations, along with one fourth-place finisher drawn by lot, will return to Mohawk Racetrack on August 30 for the third Gold final of the freshman trotting colt season. Sunday’s Gold eliminations go postward as Races 1, 3, and 6, with the first race slated for 7:30 p.m.
Click here to view the harness racing entries for Sunday's card at Mohawk.
(With files from the OSS)