Ontario-based trainer Rob Fellows will send his first Metro Pace starter to the track on Saturday, August 27 with Bettors Western, a son of Bettors Delight from the Western Hanover mare Western Moonlight.
“It feels no different than racing in a maiden at Kingston Park Raceway when I was a kid,” Fellows said on his Metro debut. “When you’re excited, when you want to race, be competitive; you hope the horse doesn’t embarrass you, you hope your horse gets a good trip, you hope you don’t embarrass your owners...you lose that oversight.
“I am excited about [racing in the Metro], but I try to keep things down,” Fellows also said. “You always want to win it, but the higher you build it up, the further you fall down.”
Fellows was part of the team that bought Bettors Western as a yearling with owner Synerco Ventures Inc., who acquired the colt for $33,000 at the 2015 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.
“He had a pedigree the owner liked,” Fellows said. “He also had the conformation, the size, and was affordable.”
Training down, Fellows noted that Bettors Western wasn’t a standout...just a solid horse without any signs of superstardom.
“He never did anything wrong,” he said, “but he didn’t shine. He just trained down like a good-mannered little horse and never did more than he was asked.”
Bettors Western qualified under Fellows’ care in 1:59.4 and 1:57.3 at Mohawk Racetrack before shipping stateside into Chris Oakes’ barn. In the U.S. he has made five starts, winning a $20,000 Stallion Series division at The Meadows and a $63,291 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes division at Harrah’s Philadelphia. Through his efforts in the States, including miles paced in 1:53.3 and 1:52, Fellows felt Bettors Western was a stakes-calibre pacer.
“Our owner staked him to everything,” Fellows said. “He is a small horse, so hopefully he doesn’t get over-raced as a two-year-old, and money tends to sometimes lead us perhaps further than we should go. He can go wherever we want him to go as long as he stays healthy and sound.
“When he qualified, he was well within himself,” Fellows said on the colt’s speed. “I thought he could pace in [1]:54 up here very easily, and, historically, horses that have left here and gone to Pocono have paced a second or two faster. He’s not an overly-aggressive horse, but, in his first start David Miller drove him, and he put the whip on his tail and he paced in 1:52.”
Racing from the rail, Bettors Western has been stapled the 5-2 morning-line favourite in his Metro elim.
“We have a real good post,” Fellows said. “I’m not very ‘rah-rah bang-bang,’ so I’m not totally sure about our chances. I respect the other people’s horses, but we’re there because we’d like to try and make the final, and the owner’s a local person from Canada and this is our local feature race for two-year-olds. Hopefully he’s good enough to come back and race in the final if we’re good enough and lucky enough to make it.
“He has raced with the best with the best in Pennsylvania and New York, and has beaten some of them,” Fellows also said. “Off those lines, he has the ability to make the final. We wouldn’t put him in if we didn’t think we had a chance to make the final and make money.”
The Metro Pace is an opportunity for a freshman pacer to establish himself as the best in the ranks. Whoever emerges victorious in the final next week will mark himself as the divisional leader heading towards the Breeders Crown.
“These are the races over the next two, three weeks where we will see the standouts,” Fellows said. “Right now, most of them have been doing well in their little territories, but there’s no one who dominates overall. We won’t know which one is separated into the top echelon for another month.”
Fellows has added incentive for a win when he races Bettors Western on Saturday, as August 27 is also his birthday.
“I’m hoping for a win on Saturday,” Fellows said. “This is a game of ups and downs, but I would have enough money to renew my licenses.”
The post positions for the $661,000 Metro Pace and $427,000 Shes A Great Lady finals will be drawn following the eliminations on Saturday. First race post time for Saturday’s 11-race card is 7:30 p.m.
Below are the fields for the Metro Pace eliminations.
(PP/Horse/Driver/Trainer/Odds)
Metro Pace Elimination #1 (Race 3)
1. Bettors Western – David Miller – Rob Fellows - 5-2
2. Odds On Delray – Tim Tetrick – Tony Alagna - 6-1
3. The Wall – Yannick Gingras – Jimmy Takter - 9-2
4. Rock This Way – Mario Baillargeon – Ben Baillargeon - 4-1
5. Calvin K – Jody Jamieson – Tony O’Sullivan - 7-2
6. Windsong Napoleon – Phil Hudon – Carl Jamieson - 10-1
7. Pointomygranson – Sylvain Filion – Chris Ryder - 15-1
8. Classic Pro – Randy Waples – Dr. Ian Moore - 10-1
Metro Pace Elimination #2 (Race 4)
1. Bobcat Bound – Jody Jamieson – Carl Jamieson - 15-1
2. Ocean Colony – Yannick Gingras – Jimmy Takter - 4-1
3. Manceiver – Randy Waples – Howard Okusko Jr. - 8-1
4. Darlings Dragon – Donald Dupont – Marie Dupont - 3-1
5. Ideal Wheel – David Miller – Casie Coleman - 5-2
6. Abbeydorney – Rick Zeron – Ciaran Morrison - 20-1
7. Macs Jackpot – Sylvain Filion – Tony O’Sullivan 7-2
8. All It Takes – Doug McNair – Gregg McNair - 15-1
9. Beach House – Tim Tetrick – Rich Gillock - 15-1
Metro Pace Elimination #3 (Race 8)
1. Deadly Action – Doug McNair – Colin Johnson - 20-1
2. Tuxedo Bay – Randy Waples – Mark Steacy - 12-1
3. Blood Line – Yannick Gingras – Jimmy Takter - 5-2
4. Beyond Delight – Sylvain Filion – Tony O’Sullivan - 10-1
5. R J P – Jonathan Drury – Erv Miller - 5-1
6. Some Attitude – David Miller – Bob McIntosh - 12-1
7. Southwind General – Jody Jamieson – Jack Darling - 9-2
8. Bettors Dream – Tim Tetrick – Scott McEneny - 8-5
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Mohawk Racetrack.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Ray Cotolo)