Harper Blue Chip might not be as speedy as his father, former trotting star Majestic Son, at this stage of his career, but trainer Mark Steacy thinks he could become one of his 'majestic sons.'
The two-year-old Harper Blue Chip is among the 10 finalists in Saturday’s $365,000 William Wellwood Memorial at Mohawk Racetrack. The colt has won three of six races this season, including his most recent two. Last weekend, he won his Wellwood elimination in 1:56.1 and on Aug. 30 he won a division of the Champlain Stakes in 1:56.
Saturday’s card also includes the $374,000 Peaceful Way Stakes for two-year-old filly trotters and the $686,000 Canadian Trotting Classic for three-year-old male trotters.
Harper Blue Chip and driver Sylvain Filion will start the Wellwood from post three. Once-beaten favourite Father Patrick, who won his elim in 1:55.3 from post 10, starts from post four with Yannick Gingras driving for trainer Jimmy Takter.
“He’s had a good week so far,” said the Ontario-based Steacy, who owns Harper Blue Chip with Landmark 6 Racing Stable, David McDonald and David Reid. “One thing about him, he’s always full of himself. He’s a good-feeling horse and seems to enjoy life.
“Father Patrick is one talented horse. Unless he makes some kind of mistake, he looks pretty much unbeatable. But it’s a horse race and anything can happen. The way my horse has been getting better and better every week, I’m hoping we’re not at the bottom of the well with ours. If we get a good trip anything can happen.”
Steacy trained Majestic Son, who was Canada’s Horse of the Year in 2006. Harper Blue Chip’s mother, Winning Jonlin, produced stakes-winners Medusa Blue Chip and Vibe Blue Chip and is a full-sister to stakes-winner Myolin. The family also includes two-time Horse of the Year honouree Mack Lobell and Hambletonian champion American Winner. Harper Blue Chip sold for $40,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale.
“He had fairly decent conformation,” Steacy said. “He might have been just a little bit toe-out, but nothing drastic. I don’t mind that on a trotter anyway. He had a nice rear end on him and a good shoulder and I really liked that. I could see similarities in a few respects to what his father had.
“I thought this one was probably bred better than most Majestic Sons on the mother’s side. That’s what Majestic Son has always lacked; he’s never bred these kinds of mares before. The ones I’ve had have all been decent horses with lesser pedigree. I figured this one has got a little more pedigree and a little more body to work with, so maybe he could be OK. After that you’ve just got to get lucky.”
Steacy saw other similarities between Harper Blue Chip and Majestic Son.
“They’re both very smart horses,” Steacy said. “Majestic Son was just a little more than ordinary training to get to the races, but he always did it right. Just as Majestic Son did, this guy seems to be getting better with every start. I think Majestic Son showed just a little more raw speed than this one does at this point.
“[Harper Blue Chip] was good gaited and didn’t make very many mistakes at all. He didn’t show any big speed training down, he was just kind of the same quarters all the time; nothing flashy. But after he got started to race, the speed started to come. And it’s coming a little bit more with each start. You like to see a little go to them, but with a young trotter at that point I’m just as concerned about seeing a good gait.”
Steacy brought Harper Blue Chip along slowly and gave him his first three starts in the Ontario Sire Stakes Grassroots Series. He didn’t face open stakes company until the Champlain.
“That’s kind of my policy; I try to give them as many easy starts before I start getting in against tougher competition,” Steacy said. “I always believe they’re a better horse if you can get a couple easy starts into them, get them brave and make them think that they’re good.”
Here is a look at the the field for the Wellwood Memorial with listed drivers and trainers:
1. Massive Talent, Scott Zeron, Nifty Norman
2. Raise The Curtain, Tim Tetrick, Dustin Jones
3. Harper Blue Chip, Sylvain Filion, Mark Steacy
4. Father Patrick, Yannick Gingras, Jimmy Takter
5. Il Sogno Dream, Paul MacDonell, Chris Beaver
6. P L Hercules, Chris Christoforou, Matthew Dupuis
7. Odds On Amethyst, Dan Daley, Daley
8. Credit Fashion, Brian Sears, Jim Campbell
9. Damfoolrmillionair, Randy Waples, Brad Maxwell
10. Muscle Midas, John Campbell, Gates Brunet
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.