Friday, February 26, 2015 New Yearling Sale Slated for Goshen on Sept. 13. with Top Farms Committing to Sale Figures to Be A
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Friday, February 26, 2015 Greatness Seems a Given for Mission Brief Even her own sire, the great Muscle Hill, couldn't touch By Bill Finley her time-wise during his 2-year-old year, when his fastest This much we know: Mission Brief was one of the most mile was 1:53.2. talented two-year-old trotting fillies to ever grace the After the Red Mile race, she would go on to win three of racetrack. But will she go down as one of the all time her next four, the only loss, of course, coming when she greats, maybe the greatest trotting filly ever? broke in the Goldsmith at Woodbine. But she finished up She could and that's what makes her 3-year-old the year with wins in the Breeders Crown elims and finals. campaign the most exciting story of 2015. Burke knows he has to fix the breaking problem. If she is "I embrace the hype," trainer Ron Burke said. "She's going to continue to break in 30 percent of her races then she's never going to compile the sort of record where she deserves comparisons to the all-time greats, The trainer believes he's gotten that problem under control. "It's just that she was a 2 year old and now she's a 3 year old," he said. "I hate to make it that simple, but I think it is that simple with her. As her mind matures and she's not so nervous about things I think she will be fine. And I am hoping this year that's the whole deal. Yes, last year she was real nervous starting out . She was very alert and very aware of what was going on around her and sometimes she would be uncomfortable when put in new situations. By the end of year she was starting to figure it out and has had more time to mature mentally and with more training I think she'll be fine. I don't think it will be an issue." Mission Brief is currently training in Florida and Burke Will Mission Brief win the 2015 Hambletonian? (Nigel Soult photo) done things that no other horse ever did." Burke, who only recently started to spend big dollars at the yearling sales paid $150,000 for the daughter of Muscle Hill at the 2013 Lexington sale. When he started training her down he discovered he had a very talented but nervous filly on his hands. In her first start, in a New Jersey sire stakes race, she broke stride, repeating a pattern that would be the only blemish on her 2-year-old season. She won her next four starts before breaking again in a leg of the Kindergarten series. She won an elim for the Peaceful Way and then broke in the final. But it's what she did when not breaking that got even the most demanding and discerning harness experts so excited. In the Oct. 2 International Stallion Stakes at the Red Mile she went in 1:50.3. Not only was it a world record for a 2-year-old trotting filly, it smashed the previous mark of 1:52.2 held by Designed to Be and is nearly three seconds faster than the record set by a 2-year-old trotting male. That is 1:53.1, held by the gelding Outburst. New yearling sale slated for Goshen on Sept. 13. With top farms committing to sale figures to be a major, major success. See page 2 HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 2/27/15 PAGE 2 of 8 said she won't come north until early April. He has into good horses." tentatively scheduled the May 15 New Jersey Sires Stakes Note: Filly JK She’salady has not been nominated to the as her comeback race, but has his sights set on far bigger Meadowlands Pace, so, unlike Mission Brief, it doesn’t goals. appear that her connections are intent on tackling the top Though he will be trying to win the race with a filly, males Burke's big goal for the year is the Hambletonian. With Mission Brief so much faster than her rivals as a 2 year old Burke sees no reason not to go for the biggest American trotting prize of them all. The fastest time put in by any make 2-year-old trotter in 2014 was Pinkman's 1:53.2. The second fastest male was Habitat (1:53.4), who happens to be trained by Burke. "I have some really good male trotters and they don't even breath the same air that she does," he Goshen Yearling Sale Slated for Sept. 13 Ron Burke (center) said. "They don't belong on the from the Goshen Standardbred Horse Sales Co. sees nothing but same track with her. Unless they Goshen, NY -- The inaugural Goshen Yearling Sale has greatness in Mission make great strides forward or she been established and is scheduled for Sunday, September Brief’s future makes great strides backwards, I 13, 2015. can't see them being able to beat The new venue has already attracted quality her. She's just better than they are." consignments from Blue Chip Farms, Cameo Hills, Burke said Mission Brief will not face males prior to the Crawford Farms and Winbak Farms. Hambletonian and the only other race he would consider The annual harness horse auction will be held at the starting her in against the boys is the male division of the Mark Ford Training Center in Middletown, New York and is Breeders Crown. scheduled for the afternoon immediately following the New "I wouldn't want to make her do that all the time," he said. "The Hambletonian is something you have to take a shot at and the difference in the Breeders Crown is that the race for boys is worth a lot more than the one for fillies." Burke and driver Yannick Gingras will travel to Florida Monday to train Mission Brief and get an up-close look at her. It's too early to get nervous, but Burke figures he will. "(Sweet) Lou used to make me sick I'd get so nervous," he said. "He was the only one that did that to me and now he's gone. She’s going to be the one now that makes me nervous. I know it's going to be the same way with her. But at least having had Lou I came to realize all the ups and downs that can happen. I think also with Lou I learned things about to how manage my expectations and to take take my time and not worry about what anyone else thinks and just do what's best for the horses." Some trainers don't like it when their horses are put on a pedestal. Too much pressure. But Burke said he is going to enjoy the ride and will never have a problem telling anyone just how good he thinks this horse is. "Yes, I think you can say it, that she's going to be one of the best ever," he said. "We had Buck I St. Pat and I think she was one of the top 10 trotting mares of all time and in her whole career she never trotted faster than this one has. On her best day she couldn't have beaten Mission Brief. “That's what you do this for. You have to want that pressure, you have to want to have those kinds of horses. Give me all the top horses in the game and make me make them; it's a lot easier to do that than have to try to turn crap MCARDLE is the sire of the richest pacer in North America in 2014: McWicked, winner of the Breeders Crown, Adios, and Max Hempt, and Dan Patch Award winner as the top 3 year old colt pacer! TThis sire of four world champions is also the second-leading sire of 3yos by average earnings, behind only Somebeachsomewhere. His rst Ohio crop will be yearlings in 2015. Booked full in 2013 and 2014. 2015 Stud Fee: $4,000 with Multiple Foal Discounts Inquiries to Farm Manager Brad Wallace 14346 Township Road 205, Findlay, Ohio 45840 (419) 422-3004, Fax (419) 425-2999 www.hickorylanefarm.com HarnessRacingUpdate.com • 2/27/15 PAGE 3 of 8 York Sire Stakes Night of Magee has had 10 seasons with $2 million-plus in Champions at Yonkers earnings, 13 more seasons with $3 million in earnings and Raceway. "The a trio of $4 million seasons. He won a whopping 630 races location is ideal as it is in 1994, which led all drivers in North America. within close proximity to Dave also proved victorious in the 1995 World Driving many of the trainers and Championship, defeating drivers from Canada, Australia, owners in the tri-state France, Sweden, Germany, Italy and other European stops. region that purchase He was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in yearlings," noted Joe 2001. Thomson the owner of On the local scene Dave has been dominant throughout Winbak Farms, the second largest breeder in North his career, winning driving titles at every Illinois racetrack. America. "Several thousand Standardbreds are either His 12 Maywood Park driving titles and 11 Sportsman's raised or trained within a 75 mile radius of Goshen." Park titles are both records. He is also the leader in Super Tom Grossman, the owner of Blue Chip Farms stated Night victories among drivers.