Big Bossman wasn’t the boss of the Ohio-bred two-year-old pacing colts earlier this year, but he’s finding the right time to hit his stride.
“I went to warm him up that [first] night and as I turned him to go a mile, he made a right hand turn and almost hit two horses head on,” explained trainer Doug Hinklin. “When Grismore [driver Greg Grismore] took him behind the gate, he just lost his mind because of two recalls and when they let them go at the start, he paced down to the first turn and made a right hand turn and almost went through the fence.”
That first mile out resulted in a DNF, but Hinklin went ahead and entered the second leg of the Ohio Sire Stakes, which would be his second lifetime start. Unfortunately, the result was basically the same.
“He was just a head case,” said Hinklin. “I’ve been in this game 40 years and I’ve seen that before, so I just tried something that worked for me years ago and put telescope blinds on him with a fly screen over the top of the blinds and plugged his ears and it worked. He’s been fine ever since, except the night he drew the nine-hole at Scioto and he kinda reverted back to his old ways there. He’s a super fast colt, but he’s a head case.”
Big Bossman won the Ohio State Fair on August 3, pacing in 1:54.4 with a last quarter of :27.1. He went on to win the last two legs of the Sire Stakes in 1:57.2 at Raceway Park and 1:54.4 at Scioto last week.
“When he’s concentrating on the game, he’s very, very fast. I knew that when I got down training him in April. I got him down to about 2:15 and I started brushing him and I knew he was a super fast colt.
“If he behaves, he’ll be a force to be reckoned with. If he behaves himself, they won’t beat him.”
Big Bossman is by Feelin Friskie, out of the Matts Scooter mare Lovely America. His dam already has a couple $100,000 winners and Big Bossman is well on his way with $49,835 in earnings so far. Hinklin bought the gelding as a yearling for Parent Racing Stable LLC in November 2012 at the Blooded Horse Sale.
No matter the outcome of the Ohio Sire Stakes Final Saturday at Scioto, this horse will be well on his way to becoming a great colt. Big Bossman could possibly start Hinklin on the road to his second back-to-back Sire Stakes victory seasons. Who knows what could happen when the head case of a colt starts behind the Mike Woebkenberg starting gate Saturday, but with the two-hole, he shouldn’t be scared of that first turn.
(Scioto Downs)