On May 17, 2016, Charles Lawrence of Blenheim, Ont. foaled a Big Jim filly that was a full month late, and upon first glance at his new filly he knew deep down inside there was something different about her. “We had a bit of a difficult time foaling her,” Lawrence told Trot Insider. “We had two guys plus me working until we got her out.”
When it came time to register her, the 87-year-old breeder who has spent a lifetime in the sport knew that the name needed to be special. He went to his computer and searched ‘Famous Women Battle Leaders’ and came across the nearly 2,000-year-old tale of the British folklore heroine, Boadicea.
Although the name has varied spellings and pronunciation, the story which was first recorded by the Roman historian Tacitus in the first century AD has largely gone unaltered throughout history. Boadicea, or Boudicca, was the Queen of Iceni, a Celtic tribe living in Great Britain, whose husband was murdered by the Romans. She was subjected to flogging and having her daughters violated, and this prompted her Revolt in 60 or 61 AD where she amassed a force of over 200,000 men, terrorized Roman legions in Britain, and burnt London to the ground -- all while commanding her forces from the back of her horse-drawn chariot. Although her revolt ultimately didn’t succeed, her place among famous Britons was cemented.
Chuck Lawrence found the name he wanted.
Chuck Lawrence (second from R) and the connections of Boadicea after winning the 2019 Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final
The 2019 OSS Super Final champion for three-year-old filly pacers, who now sports a career bankroll of nearly $500,000 and whose name means victory in the Celtic language, has most certainly lived up to her name. With four starts under her belt as an older pacer -- two wins and two third-place finishes in Woodbine Mohawk Park’s top class for pacing mares -- she will now take on North America’s finest pacing mares in the inaugural $172,850 Dorothy Haughton Memorial (formerly the Golden Girls) this Saturday night at The Meadowlands. Boadicea drew the six-hole in the star-studded eight-horse field that includes reigning U.S. Horse of the Year, Shartin N, leaving inside of her from post two.
“To have a mare that gets to race against those type of horses is pretty special for us, we’re all very excited and looking forward to Saturday night. We will be streaming the race at home. Gordon [co-owner], his wife, and some of our other grandchildren will be joining us to cheer her on,” stated an excited Lawrence. “At my age, and with the whole COVID thing going on, I’m not going to chance it [going down]. We’ll just watch together from here. I’ve been sleeping in a bit and staying up late, trying to get my body controlled [for Saturday]...the only thing we can hope for is that she gets off the gate well. The six-hole has been kind to us up here and she can leave with them.”
With what is statistically one of the best posts in the sport, Lawrence isn’t shy to share the connections’ attitude heading into the race. “We’re confident in our chances,” he stated. “We’re very pleased with the driver we got [Daniel Dube] and our trainer down there, Scott Di Domenico is very happy with her. Billy [Budd] and Scott have worked together in the past, and when Billy has a stakes horse for the States he sends them to him and vice versa.
“Scott picked the driver in this case but we thought [Dube] would fit our horse well, and Billy was really in favor of him also,” continued Lawrence. “Dan is an experienced driver and Billy has a good relationship with him. He drove that horse [Boulder Creek] that Billy had years ago and he made over $3 million.”
Boadicea left for New Jersey on July 8, leaving Ontario around 3:00 p.m. and arriving at the Di Domenico Stable, located at Gaitway Farms, around midnight.
“She’s settled right in, there’s been no trouble with eating or sleep. Scott was very pleased with her after they trained her too. She hasn’t been to that track yet [The Meadowlands], her first time to see it will be Saturday night and I think she’ll enjoy it.”
There isn’t a set plan for Boadicea after Saturday's start. “She has the Lady Liberty at The Meadowlands on Hambo Day. Whether she’ll stay in New Jersey or come home hasn’t been discussed yet. We’ve got to figure out what’s best for the horse to keep her sharp.”
Although it’s been 30 years since Lawrence would “jump on a plane out of Detroit on a Saturday afternoon, watch the races [at The Meadowlands] that night and then fly back Sunday morning”, he still vividly recalled horses he raced there, the races they contested, and the driver that held the reins in their hands.
“My son had five or six horses down there in the ’80s, he was down there until 1987. We had Split Image who raced in the New Faces series, but in his first start there they put him in the Preferred Pace and drew the 10 hole. John Campbell drove him, but he just couldn’t go with those bearcats and his post didn’t help...But he did win a few down there for us and he did end up being the top money-earner in the series,” Lawrence said with pride.
“We kinda got out [from The Meadowlands] around 1987 but were back there now,” stated Lawrence with a chuckle.
And although they won’t be there in-person, maybe their Queen Boadicea will win another battle and get them back into that Meadowlands winner's circle again.
The Dorothy Haughton Memorial (race 10) is part of a stakes-laden card at The Big M. First race post time is 6:30 p.m. (EDT). To view a preview of the Saturday card, click the following link: Stacked Meadowlands Saturday Card.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Justin Fisher)