After capturing the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack last month, Broad Bahn will look for his next big win when he starts in the $1-million Canadian Trotting Classic this Saturday at Mohawk Racetrack
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The son of Broadway Hall is already the richest sophomore trotter on the continent so far this season with $1,042,311 in earnings for trainer Noel Daley.
Daley, a resident of Bordentown, New Jersey, is no stranger to winning big money races, as he conditioned Mr Muscleman ($4,032,206) to a pair of Breeders Crown victories as well as Explosive Matter ($1,528,266), just to name a few.
Despite finishing second in his elimination this past Saturday, Daley was pleased with Broad Bahn’s effort.
“I was really happy with the way he performed,” Daley said. “He was much stronger on Saturday and had a lot of fight in him.”
Although Broad Bahn posted a victory in the $122,420 Zweig Memorial Stakes at Tioga Downs and a fourth-place finish in the $500,000 Colonial Trot prior to his trip to Mohawk, Daley knew his charge wasn’t showing his true potential.
“He wasn’t that sharp in his last few starts,” he said. “Sure, he won at Tioga, but he wasn’t racing against the top horses. In the Colonial he got used hard, but I thought he should have had more kick at the end of the mile.”
Daley, who has sent out over 2,100 winners, believes that there is no standout sophomore trotter this year like there has been in the past.
“There are no superstars this year, there is no Muscle Hill or Deweycheatumnhowe (previous Hambo winners),” Daley said. “In my opinion, this is a solid bunch of nice horses and anyone could jump up and win on any given day. I looked at the entries for Saturday and I counted at least six horses that could win that race.”
When speaking about his trainee leading up to this Saturday, Daley admires Broad Bahn’s consistency on the racetrack.
“One thing about my horse is that he’s always going to be in contention,” he said. “He may not always win, but he’s always there and puts on a good show. Other horses this year have a weakness, whether it's lameness issues or whatever, but my horse has no issues. He’s sound, has a terrific gait and shows up every start.”
Ole Bach (agent of owner Fam Alber Horse Racing LL.) selected Broad Bahn for $20,000 as a yearling, and when Daley received the horse, he wasn’t sure what to make out of his new addition.
“It’s not that I didn’t like the horse, I just thought he was very big,” he said. “Don’t get me wrong, I love training a big trotter, but I thought he was maybe too big. The one thing that helped him out was that he didn’t grow much. He’s probably the same size now than he was as a yearling. He just filled out into a nice, solid animal.”
With the better half of the racing season completed, Daley is hoping Broad Bahn will return for another year of racing.
“I hope he comes back next year,” Daley said. “He’s such a big strong horse and that only bodes well for him next season. I can see him having just as good of year as this one, if not better.”
George Brennan will steer the bay from Post 4 in Mohawk's seventh race Saturday.
The CTC will be televised live on The Score during a special one-hour program which will kick off at 9:00 p.m. (ET).
Besides the CTC, Mohawk's 12-dash program is still loaded with stakes tilts. The $447,000 final of the Peaceful Way Stakes for two-year-old trotting fillies has been carded as Race 4 (8:19 p.m.) and the $469,000 William Wellwood Memorial for two-year-old trotters has been programmed as Race 9 (10:23 p.m.). A pair of eliminations for the Milton Stakes has also been carded, as has an Open and Preferred 2 Pace.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk Racetrack, click the following link: Saturday - Mohawk Racetrack.
(WEG)
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