The Foiled Again farewell tour will make its final stop in Ohio this Saturday night (Nov. 10), and the richest harness racing horse of all time will have his work cut out for him.
The 14-year-old, 105-time career winner has drawn the outermost post position against a field of conditioned pacers who themselves have won 201 races and over $2 million in purses.
Foiled Again has won over $7.6 million on his own, of course, and thus has been tabbed as the lukewarm 5-2 favourite in his ‘Buckeye State’ finale.
The good news is that favourites have been winning at a 41 per cent clip at Hollywood Dayton Raceway this season. The bad news, though, is that only 3.8 per cent of the horses starting from Post 9 over the five-eighths-mile oval have reached the winner's circle.
Chris Page will pilot the fan favourite who has won seven of 22 starts in his final season before mandatory retirement.
The owners of Foiled Again have graciously dispatched him the last few months on a tour of a multitude of racetracks throughout the eastern half of the United States and Canada to allow as many racing fans as possible to get a final glimpse of this great champion.
Patrons at Hollywood Dayton Raceway on Saturday night will have a random drawing opportunity to win a ride in a two-seater jog cart behind Foiled Again as he warms up for his last race in Ohio. Another lucky fan will win a large Breyer replica of Foiled Again; while dozens of others will win smaller Breyer replica versions of Foiled Again as random pop-up prizes while using self-betting machines.
Foiled Again has been owned by Burke Racing, Weaver Bruscemi and the JJK Stable for the last ten years of his illustrious 12-year racing career. Upon his retirement he will be retired to the Mickey Burke Sr. family farm.
(With files from Hollywood Dayton Raceway)