Trainer Rene Bourassa's first O'Brien Award finalist is a bit of a gift horse.
He had not even set eyes on two-year-old trotting filly HP Titania Runner until a few days before she won her first Ontario Sires Stakes Gold event for him at Georgian Downs last July.
The E L Titan filly had done most of her prepping at H3R in Trois-Rivieres, QC, then was brought to Woodbine Mohawk Park in July to qualify again by her then-trainer Jean Tourigny.
Bourassa, a Quebec native now based in Rockwood, Ont., knew Tourigny from his early days in the sport and had trained horses for him previously. But since his stable consisted primarily of claimers, he didn't know if the owners and breeders -- Claude Hamel of Ayer's Cliff, Que., and Michel Damphousse of Louiseville, Que. -- would want him to handle the filly's Ontario campaign, if she showed she could be competitive.
They did. Just five days after her Mohawk qualifier, she made her racing debut for him in the Gold at Georgian.
Bourassa, 57, said he started thinking the O'Briens might be in the cards right after that race, a 17-1 upset that also marked his first career win in a Gold.
"I'd jogged her but that night was the first time I warmed her up, and I thought 'wow, she really stretches out'."
Her second start in August at Mohawk is what really made him a believer.
'It was a tough month between races. She got sick, she didn't eat for a while, she coliced, she stepped on a rock. There wasn't much training. And after all that, she went out and won again (a second Gold, in 1:57.3). She just has that desire to go by horses."
Next came another rough patch, a stretch of four off-the-board finishes that included a couple of breaks.
Bourassa said he finally opted to put trotting hopples on the late-charging filly, to keep her flat. She had to qualify again in late September, then won her final two starts in October, a Gold event at Mohawk and then the $225,000 OSS Super Final. The latter was the biggest purse ever won by a horse in his stable.
"I was so nervous that night, but she came through," Bourassa said.
The filly finished the year with four wins in eight starts, $248,650 in earnings, and a mark of 1:56.4 at Mohawk.
Bourassa said he's looking forward to bringing her back in 2019. "She's very fast but she was a bit fragile last year. We've been working on her; she's more mature now. I don't think she'll even need the hopples this year."
In the meantime, this weekend's O'Brien Awards will be a welcome reminder of what was a year of firsts, after decades of hard work, he said.
"It'll be a big night for sure. I've never been, and now I'm in the same category as Jimmy Takter (trainer of the other finalist, Peaceful Way winner The Ice Dutchess). I'm fortunate; some people never go. When you mostly handle claimers, you don't get many opportunities for an O'Brien."
Standardbred Canada will present the 30th edition of the O’Brien Awards on Saturday, February 2, 2019 at the Hilton Mississauga/Meadowvale Hotel. The black tie gala includes a cocktail reception, gourmet dinner, wine, and complimentary portrait for the night's attendees.
(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Paul Delean)