"The way he finished up the year last year, with just missing in the Breeders Crown, I had a lot of high expectations. We just were laden with so much bad racing luck with him in the beginning."
If actions speak louder than words, Sometimes Said’s recent performances declare he deserves some attention.
Owned by New Hope's Fashion Farms, Sometimes Said brings a three-race win streak to Sunday’s $260,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship for three-year-old male pacers at Harrah’s Philadelphia. The Jim Campbell-trained colt is 5-1 on the morning line and starts from post No. 2 with the track’s leading driver, Tim Tetrick.
McWicked is the 2-1 favourite from post one, with David Miller driving for trainer Casie Coleman. In his most recent start, a division of the sire stakes at The Meadows on Aug. 29, McWicked edged Somewhere In LA by a nose in a stakes-record 1:48.3. He has won six of his last seven races, with his victories including the Hempt Memorial in June and Adios Stakes in July.
Sunday’s card also features Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championships for three-year-old female pacers and three-year-old male and female trotters. Post time is 12:40 p.m. for the first race.
Prior to his win streak, Sometimes Said sometimes was unfortunate. He got the extreme outside post, No. 10, in the North America Cup and raced on the outside the entire mile, finishing 10th. In the Meadowlands Pace, he started from post eight and was three wide the entire race, again finishing 10th.
Campbell gave the horse a three-week layoff and Sometimes Said responded with his three consecutive victories.
“He’s been racing really good here,” Campbell said. “Actually, he’s been racing good all along, he just wasn’t having any racing luck. We gave him a few weeks off after (the Meadowlands Pace) and since then he’s been on a nice little roll.”
Sometimes Said made 10 starts last year and only once finished worse than third. In fact, over his last eight starts of the campaign, Sometimes Said posted one win and seven second-place finishes.
His victory came by 2-1/4 lengths over McWicked in a division of the Historic-Goshen Cup at Philly. He capped the season with a runner-up effort in the Breeders Crown, where he was beaten by a neck from post nine by Luck Be Withyou. He also finished second in the sire stakes championship for two-year-old male pacers.
If all goes well Sunday, Sometimes Said will be pointed to the Little Brown Jug on Sept. 18 at the Delaware County Fair in Ohio. Seven of the Jug’s top-rated hopefuls -- McWicked, Somewhere In LA, Sometimes Said, Limelight Beach, At Press Time, Cammikey, and Lets Drink On It -- are in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship.
“That’s the plan, but we’re taking it one race at a time,” Campbell said. “We’re more concerned with this race coming up, and the reality is (Sometimes Said) is up against really tough horses Sunday. The PA Sire Stakes all year has been very tough racing with good colts in it.
“(Sometimes Said) has shown that he’s got the speed, but there are a few real top-notch horses in this race. Hopefully he’ll get a good trip in there.”
In the championship for three-year-old female pacers, Sandbetweenurtoes puts her perfect eight-for-eight season record on the line against 3-1 slight favourite Allstar Rating, whose mark of 1:49 is tied for the fastest mile by a three-year-old filly pacer this season. Sandbetweenurtoes is trained by Larry Remmen; Allstar Rating by Ron Burke.
On the trotting side, Father Patrick is the 5-2 favourite over 7-2 second choice, and Jimmy Takter-trained stablemate, Nuncio in the championship for colts and geldings. Father Patrick and Nuncio finished 1-2 in the Zweig Memorial on Aug. 29. Don Dorado, who won the title for two-year-old male trotters last season, is 10-1.
Takter’s Lifetime Pursuit is the 9-5 favourite in the championship for 3-year-old female trotters. She has won four consecutive races, including the Hambletonian Oaks, and twice set or equaled world records. Designed To Be, who won last year’s crown, is the 3-1 co-second choice with Take The Money.
This story courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, visit www.ustrotting.com.