Tim Bojarski has participated in just about every aspect of the Standardbred racing business throughout his life: as a groom, a trainer, a driver, a writer, handicapper, and as the National President of the U.S. Harness Writers Association and the President of USHWA’s Upstate New York Chapter. He’s also owned horses in partnership with Tony Gruppo since the early 1980s. While the pair has achieved success at the open level, competing on the Grand Circuit has remained a dream. Friday night at Yonkers, Dbldelitebrigade will change that as she makes her stakes debut in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series first leg Friday night (March 12).
“I’ve owned horses basically my whole life,” Bojarski said. “We been racing at Batavia most of our lives. There are some really good horses racing at Plainridge the last couple years, Paternity Suit is one of my other horses we race in the open there. Still, it’s not the Grand Circuit. To be able to participate at that level is something we’ve always wanted to do and feel fortunate that we are able to do it now.”
Bojarski and Gruppo began importing horses from Australia to upgrade their racing stock. After two previous successful Down Under buys, agent Frank Rinaldi presented them with Dbldelitebrigade, a consistent Bettors Delight daughter out of the Smooth Fella mare Smithies Delight.
“We were interested in getting a higher-end mare to race in the open at Plainridge, mostly. When Frank came across her, he got in touch with me right away. He told me he felt this mare is something really special. He gave me her information and I went online and watched all of her replays,” Bojarski recalled.
“Her races in Australia are really something to see,” he continued. “Almost every one of them, she’s parked out almost the whole mile. Her last several starts there, she was racing the higher-end male open horses and beating them; I mean really beating them.”
Specifically, Bojarski cites Dbldelitebrigade’s effort in the free for all pace at Albion Park on Aug. 22, 2020 as a key race in his decision to purchase the mare. Trainer and driver Grant Dixon sent Dbldelitebrigade from post seven, but was stuck three-wide around the first turn on the five-eighths-mile oval. Dixon put his foot down through the stretch the first time. On loose lines and with the whip on her tail, Dbldelitebrigade cleared parked out rival Bee Gees Bandit to sit on the rim off pacesetter Mafuta Vautin’s flank.
Turning for home, Dbldelitebrigade took the lead and braced for the challenge of Sir Julian, who circled up four wide from the backfield. Dixon called out to Dbldelitebrigade, high-lined her, and gave three quick snaps of the whip. In the final few metres, he dropped his hands confidently as Dbldelitebrigade cruised through the wire a length clear of Sir Julian.
“Where you would normally think she was going to pack it in and back through the field, she found another gear. It was a phenomenal race,” Bojarski said.
Dbldelitebrigade shipped to Tom Fanning’s stable at Gaitway Farm in early November. Fanning took it slow, letting the mare acclimate to her new surroundings. However, she soon showed she was ready to get serious with her training.
“The acclimation is the whole thing and having gone through it with the other two, we know to take it slow, let them tell you when to take it to the next level,” Bojarski said. “Tom did a great job with her. He turned her out a couple days, got her on the track just jogging a mile or two and basically let her tell him when to go. Knock on wood, she never got sick, never lost her appetite, never lost weight. She’s got a great personality, does everything right, is very professional about her work, and Tom says she’s a joy to have in the barn.”
Dbldelitebrigade qualified at the Meadowlands on Dec. 26. In four starts at the Big M between Jan. 2, 2021 and Feb. 5, Dbldelitebrigade earned a 1:51.4 victory in a $15,500 overnight, two thirds, and a fourth. She then moved to the $30,000 Yonkers distaff opens. Dbldelitebrigade was beaten a nose by Seaswift Joy in her first local start on Feb. 11 and was third by a neck while pacing 1:53.4 with a :27.3 final quarter two back on Feb. 25. In her last start at Yonkers on March 4, Jason Bartlett sent Dbldelitebrigade to the lead, but she faded in the final quarter to finish fourth in a blanket photo.
“I like what I’ve seen. Her last start, we put her on the front end and it probably wasn’t a good night to do that because it was pretty cold and very windy. It got to her a little bit at the end,” Bojarski said. “She finished fourth, but only lost out on second by about a head. Prior to that, when she raced out of a hole, she paced in 1:53.4 and this mare had never really raced on a half, even in Australia. I think she’s made the switch pretty well. She’s a good-size mare, she isn’t small and our drivers have told me she’s pretty handy getting around the half.”
Dbldelitebrigade drew into the first of three divisions of the Matchmaker first leg, carded as the second race on Friday’s program. She drew post four and with Bartlett down to drive again, is 7-1 on the morning line. Her rivals include 9-5 favourite My Ruebe Star from post one and 2-1 second choice Bettors Heart from post five. Caviart Cherie, Machnhope, and Ali Nui complete the six-pack of pacing mares.
“Every horse in the field can win that race. I feel all three divisions any horse can win because of the short fields and you never know how it’s going to go,” Bojarski said. “I like our chances. We’re in the middle of the pack. There’s a lot of speed in there and we’ve got a mare who can track speed. We’ll see how the race goes, but we’ve got Jason Bartlett up, who knows that track as well as anyone, and he’s driven this mare. I feel very confident going into the race.
“I don’t think we really know what she is yet,” Bojarski continued. “I think there’s more of the story to be written. I feel that she’s probably a little bit better than we’ve seen so far. For right now, I’m looking forward to this race and I can’t thank Tom Fanning enough for the work he’s done getting her ready for this and I feel very confident going in. I look forward to the whole series. Let the games begin.”
Yonkers Raceway features live harness racing Monday through Friday with a first post time of 7:15 p.m.
(SOA of NY)