Mark Etsell has trained horses for years, but even he was surprised as the sense of calm he felt when Highland Kismet raced in the 2024 Hambletonian.
No stranger to stakes races and high-stakes races, Etsell's serenity in a midsummer storm wasn't a result of experience as much as it was perhaps a product of low expectations that were already surpassed.
The winner of the O'Brien Award of Horsemanship at the 2023 O'Brien Awards, Etsell wasn't coming into 2024 with an itinerary for Highland Kismet that included multiple stakes races in New Jersey over the summer. In fact, it was at the whim of the gelding's breeder and owner, Highland Thoroughbred Farm's 82-year-old proprietor Mary Clark, that the son of Father Patrick could even compete in the million-dollar classic.
"If it would have been up to me staking him in February, the horse wouldn't have been eligible," Etsell told Trot Insider in a recent conversation. "I would have thought that was just throwing money away. So kudos to her for having faith in the horse. He brings such a smile to her face."
And now, he brings a similar smile to Etsell's as well. But seven months ago, that wouldn't have been the case.
"If you would have seen him here in January, you would have thought he'd been going down Highway 86 this time of year," Etsell quipped wryly. "I just give kudos to the horse, to develop that fast. We did a heck of a job here, but the horse had the parts. We just got them in the right place and got them organized."
So as Etsell brought along Highland Kismet, the trotter's talent started to reveal itself. Once the sophomore qualified at the end of April, Etsell made a statement to driver Bob McClure about the horse's ceiling. And it wasn't just Etsell who felt that way, as he indicated he had three phone calls to inquire on the horse before he had him loaded on the trailer.
"It wasn't until the day we qualified him...It was kind of funny, because it was either that day or the next day. I said to Bobby, 'You know, we might just have a Hambo horse here.' And he looked at me and said 'Really?' And I said I was serious. After he drove him the first time, he said 'I think you're right.'"
That potential fully revealed itself to the harness racing industry on June 15, 2024 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. That night, in just his fifth lifetime start, Highland Kismet equaled the Canadian record for three-year-old trotters with a 1:51.3 mile in the 2024 Goodtimes final.
In a matter of minutes, the complexion of the 2024 Hambletonian changed dramatically. What many considered to be a two-horse race between Dan Patch Award winner Karl and O'Brien Award winner T C I instantly turned into a three-way dance.
Between the Goodtimes and the Hambletonian, however, Highland Kismet made his Meadowlands debut in a division of the Stanley Dancer on July 13. That test featured a first face-off against the accomplished T C I, who was sent off as the slight favourite over the Canadian upstart. It was a race that left many asking more questions than before, as Highland Kismet gapped that gate and was never a factor in a 1:51.1 mile won by Situationship. Etsell's protege finished sixth, beaten just three lengths, but that wasn't the performance many anticipated.
"We learned some stuff with the Dancer that was valuable to us going forward," Etsell told Trot Insider in a recent discussion. "The track surface, everybody think it looks the same as Mohawk, but it's not the same as Mohawk. It's got a little more life to it, a little different grab to it. That's why horses can take shoes off there and get away with it. Before we went to the Dancer, I trained him with no hopples, and he trained really good, quite an exceptional mile. But I think what came out of that was he found that he could reach more with no pants on. And so when we went into the Dancer, we had the hopples set the way he'd won in 51 up here...didn't change anything. And I think he was trying to reach more down there because he was grabbing the track more so he was trying to reach more. And every time Bobby went to use him, he thought he would hit the hopples hard, and that would cause him be not really bad-gaited, but it shortened the strides and it gave him the feeling of being rough.
"So, we learned that lesson there, and, I mean, he still raced reasonably well. A back half in :54, last quarter in :26.1...but everybody was disappointed. I mean, yeah, it was a shock to everybody because everybody expected him to go down there and not win, but be quite competitive. And he was only beat three lengths. So it's not that he wasn't competitive. He was off the gate four lengths, and he got beat three."
Did we mention the possible sensory overload in the change from Mohawk to the Big M? It's like dropping a kid from the sticks smack dab into the middle of Times Square for the first time.
"And, I think, first start away from home...you have to remember this colt — heading into that — at that time only had five lifetime starts. Never been away from home, all of his racing experiences at Mohawk," Etsell continued. "Same style of track, seven eighths versus a mile, but the whole atmosphere is totally different, like Mohawk's a country setting, you know, no big fences, no tons of advertisement on the infield, no seven food trucks...I think that part — him being a little overwhelmed with that, because he was looking at everything — I don't blame him. So I think going to the Dancer was a plus for us going forward into the Hambo."
Perhaps it was that combination of low expectations at the start of the year, understanding what needed tweaking, and a horse that handles retention very well, but Etsell shocked himself at his mental state on the morning and even the afternoon of August 3. Granted, there was about 26 seconds of increased heart rate.
"Heading into Hambo Day, everyone says 'you're nervous!' and remarkably, I wasn't. And I can't explain that to anybody. First Hambo, should be really geared up...I was nervous coming down the stretch, thinking 'He could win this!'"
Highland Kismet raced valiantly, took at the lead at the head of the lane, and fell just a length short of eventual winner Karl. It wasn't a win, but it was vindication, relief and jubilation (and maybe kismet?) all the same.
"I went up to see [Mary] in the grandstand after the race...She was ecstatic.. She said, 'It's true we didn't win.' But then she said, 'But it's okay, you know, we'll live to fight another day.' I said, 'Well, Mary, you know what? That's just like winning a race for $500,000 and you'd take that any day, wouldn't you?' And she said, 'Yeah, you're right.'"
Since the Hambletonian, Highland Kismet had a bit of break in his schedule and just feels full of himself according to his trainer. His qualifying 1:53 mile on Friday, Aug. 23 at Mohawk looked like a walk in the park and should set him up well for the Simcoe on Aug. 31.
According to Etsell, the plan would be to take a week off in advance of the Canadian Trotting Classic eliminations. He'd then head to Kentucky for more Grand Circuit action and a potential rematch with Karl, who is not eligible to the Simcoe or the Canadian Trotting Classic.
"Going into Lexington, he's only going to be at, like,12 starts, but I'm okay with that, because he's really coming to his speed quickly. By the time he gets to Lexington, he's not going to be over-raced.. He's not going to have a lot of experience, but he's not going to be over-raced either. But he's experienced top-level competition, so he shows he'll fit.
"I'm not worried that he's not going to have as many starts. Actually, I'm kind of tickled that he doesn't have as many starts now he's going to be probably one of the freshest horses heading into Lexington."
Not only will Etsell have a fresh horse, he believes that Highland Kismet has yet to reach his full potential. Given the trotter has yet to reach double-digits in lifetime starts, and given the trainer's resume, there's a good reason to believe him.
"I don't think you've seen the best of him yet. I don't think he's realized the best of himself... and that's just going back to the whole hopple thing, getting stronger and stronger and stronger with a bigger gait. And once you develop a bigger gait, you carry your speed longer."
(Standardbred Canada)