After spending his winter in the sunny south, 2020 Somebeachsomewhere Horse of the Year Century Farroh is set to officially embark on his five-year-old season with his first start of the year this Thursday (May 6).
The son of Mach Three - Beachy Girl has drawn the outside post seven in a $30,000 Open Pace at Scioto Downs, one of two $30,000 open events on the undercard of an 11-race program that features the $135,000 Charlie Hill Memorial Trot.
Century Farroh will be making his Scioto debut with driver Ronnie Wrenn, Jr. listed for the assignment. Six rivals will line up to their inside, with Bllack Hole among the likely favourites come post time. Also making his five-year-old debut, Bllack Hole defeated Century Farroh in a leg of the 2020 Graduate Series at The Meadowlands last July, taking his lifetime mark of 1:48.
Trained by Dr. Ian Moore for owner Ratchford Stable NS of North Sydney, N.S., Century Farroh sports a summary of 20-6-7 from 43 starts with $1,423,925 in earnings. He prepared for his 2021 debut with a pair of qualifiers at Southern Oaks Training Centre. Moore told Trot Insider in late April Century Farroh and O'Brien Award winning stablemate Lawless Shadow would head to Ohio to race while his home province remains paused due to the stay-at-home order prompted by rising COVID-19 cases.
According to owner Dave Ratchford, who will be tuned in and watching from his Nova Scotia base of operations, the first major stakes event for Century Farroh is slated to be the Roll With Joe on July 3 at The Meadowlands. He's still not used to the fact that he's connected to a horse that was named the nation's best just over three months ago.
"I'm having trouble getting it to sink in," Ratchford told Trot Insider. "I'm not used to that and I don't head in that direction [Grand Circuit horses]. So for that to take place, I'm sure the guy who won the Kentucky Derby was just as high as I am!
"Getting Older Pacer of the Year was one thing, but to get Horse of the Year was certainly quite an honour."
Ratchford indicated that there has been interest from New Zealand to purchase and stand Century Farroh as a stallion but he's declined those offers.
Go Doc go!
Go Doc go!