Bowdens look for ultimate thrill with Pure Country
October 14, 2015,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Ken Weingartner
Freehold, NJ — When Adam Bowden and his father Chris bought female pacer Western Montana in the formative days of their Diamond Creek Farm a decade ago, it was with an eye toward the future.
Today as Western Montana’s undefeated 2-year-old daughter Pure Country prepares for the upcoming Breeders Crown, it appears the future is now.
Western Montana was purchased for $50,000 as a yearling at the 2005 Standardbred Horse Sale and raced for the Bowdens the following two years, winning five of 16 starts and earning $175,010. She finished fourth in the 2006 Breeders Crown for 2-year-old filly pacers and her family includes a slew of stakes-winners such as Allamerican Ingot, Allamerican Inca, LCB, and Incredible Finale.
Her pedigree was one of the major attractions for the Bowdens, who were starting their own breeding farm. Western Montana produced winners with her first three foals, although none has earned more than $69,042. Then came the Somebeachsomewhere-sired Pure Country, who is 8-for-8 with multiple stakes triumphs and $379,968.
Chris Gooden photo
Pure Country will be looking to extend her unbeaten streak to nine in Friday’s Breeders Crown eliminations.
“Western Montana was actually the fourth horse we ever bought and from the beginning she was one that I thought we were going to keep all of her foals,” Adam Bowden said. “We thought the pedigree was good enough that she was supposed to have a good horse somewhere along the way. For whatever reasons, the first three had issues here and there. They all had talent, but none of them sort of realized it.
“(Pure Country) was sort of the perfect specimen. She was never sick, she was never injured, she went about her business. We had her older sister Hunger Games, who also is by Somebeachsomewhere, and Pure Country was just a little bit bigger, a little bit more correct, and a little bit smarter than her sister was. We ended up selling Hunger Games after her 3-year-old year. My father and I debated about whether we would keep her or sell her. I told him the next one we have I think is a better filly than Hunger Games. It’s worked out so far.”
On Friday night at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, the Jimmy Takter-trained Pure Country headlines the second of two eliminations for the Breeders Crown for 2-year-old female pacers. She faces a group that includes New York Sire Stakes champion Dime A Dance plus stakes-winners Darlinonthebeach and Shezarealdeal.
Pure Country is the 1-2 morning line favorite.
The first elim includes New Jersey Sire Stakes champion Blue Moon Stride, and stakes-winners Call Me Queen Be, Soft Idea, and Yankee Moonshine.
The top five finishers from each elimination return for the $600,000 final on Oct. 24 at Woodbine. Elimination winners will draw for posts 1-5 for the final.
Pure Country is trained by Jimmy Takter, the winningest trainer in Breeders Crown history with 21 trophies and more than $9 million in purses. Takter was impressed with the filly early on, commenting after she debuted with a 1:55.4 qualifier win in June, “She’s scary.”
As Bowden recalled, “Jimmy felt she had a world of talent and she was either going to be really good or blow up in our face. Fortunately it’s so far been the former rather than the latter.”
Pure Country’s wins include the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship at The Meadows in September and divisions of the Bluegrass and International Stallion Stakes at the recently-concluded Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile. She has been driven in every start by Brett Miller.
“I’m most impressed with her consistency and her ability to either race on the lead or follow,” Bowden said. “She’s been able to do both and she’s got an unbelievable kick coming home. Most of the races, she’s been :27-(seconds) flat or sub-:27. That’s pretty impressive so far.”
The Bowdens have shared in ownership of one Breeders Crown winner, Father Patrick, but are looking for their first trophy with their own horse.
“I don’t know if there’s anything better than that,” Bowden said about the possibility of having a homebred champion. “That would be the ultimate.”
For Friday’s complete race card at Woodbine, click here.
- Freaky Feet Pete, Creatine supplement to Breeders Crown at Woodbine (Monday, October 12, 2015)
The pride of Indiana, 3-year-old colt pacer Freaky Feet Pete, as well as 5-year-old trotter Creatine, back home in the U.S. after an international campaign this year, were supplemented to their respective Breeders Crown divisions by the noon deadline on Monday (Oct. 12).
- Trio of trotting stars lead 151 into Breeders Crown (Wednesday, October 14, 2015)
Three of harness racing’s top-ranked horses — trotters Pinkman, Mission Brief and Bee A Magician — lead the list of 151 horses entered for this year’s 12 Breeders Crown events, which will be contested at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto. Eliminations are Friday and Saturday, with the $5.8 million championship night to follow on Oct. 24.
- Breeders Crown draws 151 in Woodbine Fall championships (Tuesday, October 13, 2015)
Entries for the $5.8 million Breeders Crown events saw 151 trotters and pacers fill the entry box to qualify for the 12-race Oct. 24 finals.
- Breeders Crown eliminations lead Grand Circuit schedule (Wednesday, October 14, 2015)
The Grand Circuit heads to Woodbine Racetrack this Friday (Oct. 16) and Saturday (Oct. 17) for Breeders Crown eliminations in seven divisions. Eliminations will not be required for the 3-year-old colt trot, the 3-year-old filly trot, the Mare Pace, the Mare Trot and the Open Trot.
- Breeders Crown Open Trot redrawn to include properly entered Bee A Magician (Wednesday, October 14, 2015)
A mistake in the Woodbine race office resulted in the mare trotter Bee A Magician being drawn into the Breeders Crown Mare Trot instead of the Breeders Crown Open Trot as her trainer Richard Norman had properly entered her.
- Julie Miller is happy with pair of freshman trotters heading into Breeders Crown (Thursday, October 15, 2015)
Julie Miller does not have morning line favorites in Friday’s Breeders Crown eliminations for 2-year-old male and female trotters at Woodbine Racetrack, but the trainer is happy with the way her Milligan’s School and Womans Will are heading into their respective events.
- Freaky Feet Pete heads north to Woodbine Breeders Crown (Thursday, October 15, 2015)
There is only one reason Freaky Feet Pete has stayed home in the Hoosier State for the first two years of his career. It is certainly not because the Rheinheimers have an aversion to travel, abhor signing the checks for stakes payments or panic over the depth of competition. There is simply just no place like home.
- Fred Hertrich is “all in” for Breeders Crown at Woodbine (Friday, October 16, 2015)
Breeder/owner Fred Hertrich knows all about the highs and lows of horse racing. He’s been in the business for a quarter century, but this year has been a microcosm of the extremes.
- Four scratches in Friday night’s Breeders Crown eliminations (Friday, October 16, 2015)
There are four scratches from Friday night’s $20,000 Breeders Crown eliminations for freshman trotters and pacers at Woodbine Racetrack.
- Time and patience pay off for Always B Miki (Friday, October 16, 2015)
One year after having to pull out of the Breeders Crown as the favorite because of injury, 4-year-old male pacer Always B Miki heads into Saturday’s eliminations for the Breeders Crown Open Pace looking healthy once more. It was a long road back, but not once has anyone tried to rush the horse back.
- Pure Country, Yankee Moonshine win 2FP Crown elims (Friday, October 16, 2015)
Following two consecutive second-place finishes, the daughter of Yankee Cruiser – Bootleg Yankee won the first $25,927 Breeders Crown division for 2-year-old filly pacers Friday night (Oct. 16) at Woodbine Racetrack.