Il Villaggio took a couple months to find his stride, but since last spring the two-year-old trotting colt has rarely
taken a bad step.
Last weekend, Il Villaggio was victorious in his fourth consecutive start, winning an elimination race for Sunday’s $515,000 William Wellwood Memorial at Mohawk Racetrack by four lengths over Look Closer in 1:56.3. A week earlier, the son of Yankee Glide-Dance To Market won a division of the Champlain Stakes in 1:56.1. On July 23, the colt won the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship in 1:56 at the Meadowlands.
On Sunday, Il Villaggio will start from post No. 3 with driver Tim Tetrick.
“When he first started training down, he was just OK,” trainer Erv Miller said. “When we first broke him, he was more of an immature, clumsy colt. In the spring, about three months before he started racing, he came around. When he got the [training] miles in him and his legs under him, it all came together. Then you could tell what kind of horse he was.
“He really strides out nicely. And he’s a smart colt; he learns quickly.”
Il Villaggio was purchased at the Lexington Selected Sale for $100,000 under the name Doc N Dugan. Owned by Brittany Farms, Blue Chip Bloodstock and Il Villaggio Partners, he was renamed in honour of a popular restaurant located near the Meadowlands Racetrack in New Jersey.
After tuning up for his career debut by winning two qualifiers, Il Villaggio went off stride in a preliminary round of the New Jersey Sire Stakes series at the Meadowlands. Miller made a bridle change and the horse has not lost since.
“He got too excited,” Miller said about the misstep. “I don’t know if it was the lights, but he got really keyed up. We opened him up a little bit to relax him a little more.
“He’s a real easy horse to be around. He plays around going to the track every day. You can tell he’s feeling good.”
In the New Jersey Sire Stakes championship, Il Villaggio sustained a first-over grind from seventh at the halfway point to beat favorite Break The Bank K by a half-length over a sloppy track.
“I think he could be a top three-year-old with the gait he’s got,” Miller said. “He showed it when he won the sire stakes final by coming first up and doing it easy. Timmy did a good job driving him that night.”
Il Villaggio will face challenges from nine rivals on Sunday, including two colts from the Jimmy Takter Stable. Takter’s Senor Glide and On The Tap also won Wellwood elims.
“There are always nice horses in finals,” Miller said. “I think [Il Villaggio] is an exceptional horse, so we’ll see how it goes.”
Takter Tandem Takes Aim
Jimmy Takter says Il Villaggio is the horse to beat in the William Wellwood on Sunday at Mohawk. Senor Glide might be the one who can do it.
Last weekend, Senor Glide won his Wellwood elim by 2-1/2 lengths over Temple Of Doom in 1:56.2. It was Senor Glide’s third victory in a row after starting his career with six winless efforts.
“I think the only one that probably has a shot to win and even touch Il Villaggio is Senor Glide,” Takter said. “He was one of my favourite horses training down and he had a couple issues. He just couldn’t get things right, but we liked him. He did good in the New Jersey Sire Stakes and [driver] John Campbell liked the horse, but he just got better and better. He was a little disappointment in the beginning but now we’re racing the way we’d hope he would and show his ability.”
Takter trainee On The Tab also won a Wellwood elim, beating Takeachancewithme by a half-length in 1:57. Takter drove the colt, and won with him for a second time.
“I’m undefeated with him,” Takter said. “I drove him in the Reynolds at Pocono and won with him and he raced good a couple starts, but then he made a couple stupid breaks. So I put Marcus [Johansson] up and Marcus did well with him and I asked him if he could drive him up in Canada, but he had a previous commitment to drive his filly in the Moni Maker [at the Red Mile].
“I liked the colt [as a yearling]; he had a sharp appearance that I like in a horse. He’s not a very big horse, but he’s got a big heart. I like this guy. He’s quite a little fighter actually.”
Here is a look at the field for the William Wellwood Memorial in post position order with listed drivers and trainers:
1. Newport Volo, Jody Jamieson, Jeff Gillis
2. On The Tab, Jimmy Takter, Takter
3. Il Villaggio, Tim Tetrick, Erv Miller
4. Senor Glide, Daniel Dube, Jimmy Takter
5. Look Closer, Paul MacDonell, Paula Wellwood
6. Takeachancewithme, Brian Sears, Anette Lorentzon
7. Temple Of Doom, David Miller, Jonas Czernyson
8. Sombrero Hall, Paul MacDonell, John Bax
9. Magic Fruit, John Campbell, Per Henriksen
10. Brother Glide, Trevor Ritchie, Harald Lunde
(Harness Racing Communications)