Winning a race like the Governor's Plate will always be special for Marc Campbell, but there will be some sentimental meaning for a win with morning line favourite Time To Dance in the 2021 edition of the event this Saturday (July 10) at Red Shores Summerside.
Richard Campbell, father of Time To Dance's co-owner Brent Campbell, passed away suddenly earlier this week. While not related on the Campbell side, Brent and Marc are distant cousins and have become good friends over the time they have been working together. When asked what a win in the Governor’s Plate would mean to him and the rest of the connections, Marc replied “It would mean a lot. This is where it all started a year ago. This is where we figured out this horse is more than just an average horse. This horse can do things other horses can’t.”
Although Richard was not an official part of the ownership, he was a key member of the team and Marc Campbell recognized his importance. “He was at the barn every day. He even jogged him a little bit. He wrapped his bandages and brought us coffee. He was a big part of it.” According to Marc, Richard did the little things to help keep the rest of the team focused on the bigger picture, and was instrumental in the decision to obtain Time To Dance. “Brent’s kind of the headliner but Richard was always right there.”
Time To Dance (A Rocknroll Dance - Mystical Gypsy) was claimed by Brent Campbell and Matthew McDonald of Edwards, Ont. in March of 2020 and was brought out to the Maritimes as a four-year-old. The Campbell-Campbell duo thought he was a nice horse but did not expect this level of success at first. “We thought he might be a back-up horse. Have him race in the Governor’s Plate but not be quite good enough.”
However, it was made clear rather quickly that the horse was good enough to compete and factor in such events. After just getting into last year’s Governor’s Plate, the gelding finished a solid second in the final.
“After the [Governor’s Plate], he raced in Truro in 1:52 and paced a good last quarter. When we got home, we noticed a little trickle of blood and that’s when we said it’s time to go on Lasix,” said Marc. “We knew we had enough time, two weeks out to get one start in before the [Gold Cup & Saucer] trials. We thought after the Lasix we would get the stronger last quarters you need to get to the next level.”
Campbell’s assessment was spot-on. After the addition of Lasix and a shoeing adjustment, Time To Dance reeled off eight straight victories — a stretch that started in the 2020 Gold Cup & Saucer trials and continued through the season. Thus far in 2021, Time To Dance has made five starts, winning his most recent three while not necessarily relying on a favourable draw to prevail.
This Saturday, Time To Dance looks to continue his success from the best possible position as he's drawn the inside post for the 2021 $25,000 Governor’s Plate Final. Favoured at 3-2, Campbell knows that the race won’t be handed to him on Saturday. “A horse race is a horse race and anything can happen...it’s not going to be a cakewalk, that’s for sure.”
When asked what the future plans are for Time to Dance, Campbell noted that he’s not looking too far into the future. “One week at a time and keep doing what we’re doing and not get overconfident and keep plugging away,” said Campbell, adding that the connections are “aiming him for the bigger ones” with a schedule designed to keep the horse fit but fresh for the lucrative upcoming stakes season.
Time To Dance will have to best seven rivals to get to the winner’s circle. The $25,000 Governor’s Plate final is carded as the 15th and final dash on the card that kicks off at 5:30 p.m. (ET). To view Saturday's complete entries, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Red Shores Summerside.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Trey Colbeck)