by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Jerry Graham once drove in the Hambletonian Stakes, but he considers his return to the race as an owner on Saturday an even more special occasion.

Graham’s Punxsutawney was one of 23 3-year-old male trotters entered in Saturday’s $1.21 million Hambletonian at the Meadowlands Racetrack. Punxsutawney, trained by John Butenschoen, will compete in the first of three eliminations and is 12-1 on the morning line.

The top three finishers from each elim plus the fourth-place finisher with the highest career earnings will advance to the Hambletonian final, which also will be raced Saturday afternoon. The first elimination is scheduled for 2:24 p.m. (EDT) and the final is set for 4:41 p.m.

Graham, a 72-year-old resident of Salem, Ill., drove Coleman in the 1968 Hambletonian held at the Du Quoin State Fair in southern Illinois. The race was won by Nevele Pride, who went on to capture the Trotting Triple Crown and was named Horse of the Year. Coleman, owned by Graham’s father Herman, finished sixth.

“It was a thrill, but I don’t think I fully realized it at the time,” said Graham, who won 1,421 races as a driver before hanging up the lines in 2008. “I was just a young guy and I don’t think I knew what I was doing. (Coleman) wasn’t going to win the Hambletonian; I think dad just wanted to be in the race and it was in Du Quoin, which is only about 50 miles from us. He trotted more than he ever did in his life, but he just wasn’t of that caliber.”

Nigel Soult photo

Punxsutawney enters Saturday’s Hambletonian with career earnings of $169,854.

Punxsutawney, on the other hand, could be a different story.

“I believe I have a shot in there this time,” Graham said. “This is a bigger thing (than driving). This is the first one I’ve had that I own myself and is going to the Hambletonian.”

Punxsutawney was hampered by a hoof wall separation on his left front foot earlier this year, but Butenschoen hopes the issue is resolved and his colt is ready for the Hambletonian.

Punxsutawney qualified on July 27 at the Meadowlands in 1:53.4, winning by 1-1/2 lengths over Valley Of Sin. In his previous three races, dating back to early June, the colt went off stride each time.

“I’d feel better if the timing worked out a little better and we could’ve had another week to get ready,” Butenschoen said. “But it is what it is and we’re going to roll the dice. We qualified him and he was real good. We turned him out in the field (Sunday) and again (Monday morning). I jogged him early to see how he was and he seemed real good. Things didn’t start out the way we wanted in terms of our plans, but hopefully it will work out. Hopefully we’re back on track.”

Butenschoen was encouraged by Punxsutawney’s qualifier, which was faster than the 3-year-old opens for Hambletonian eligibles at the Meadowlands that night. Corky and High Bridge won those races, both in 1:54.3.

“I thought when we qualified the track may have been a little slow and then it played out that way when you watched the races Saturday night,” Butenschoen said. “For what we were able to compare (Punxsutawney) to, we thought it was worth taking a shot. You don’t get a chance to race in the Hambletonian very often. Hopefully, he’s as good as any of them. We thought enough of him to pay him into everything.”

Punxsutawney won two of nine races last year, including a division of the Bluegrass Stakes, and earned $138,465. This season he started with victories in a conditioned race and a leg of the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes before running into his foot woes.

“He just doesn’t get tired; he just kind of keeps on going,” Butenschoen said. “He’s a very happy horse. When you take him out on the track he enjoys the work; his ears are up and he’s moving free. He’s just a big, strong, real good gaited colt. We added trotting hobbles as a precautionary thing; we wanted to give him that little extra confidence boost.”

Punxsutawney is a son of 2006 Hambletonian winner Glidemaster out of the mare Sunseeker Kosmos. He sold for $16,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale and his family includes stakes-winner Scully FBI and 1990 Kentucky Futurity winner Star Mystic.

The 50-year-old Butenschoen has trained talented trotters in the past, such as multiple-stakes-winner Plesac, but Punxsutawney is his first Hambletonian starter.

“We’ve been in some big races, but the Hambletonian is the Hambletonian,” Butenschoen said. “We’ll keep our fingers crossed that everything goes well.”

Graham, who still has a farm in Salem, agrees.

“We’d like to have another race in him, but we think he can go with them,” Graham said. “We’ll just hope for some good luck.”

Below are the Hambletonian fields, in post position order, with listed drivers and trainers.

Hambletonian Elimination 1-Race 7-2:24 p.m.
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML
1-Punxsutawney-Tim Tetrick-John Butenschoen-12-1
2-Smilin Eli-Tim Tetrick-David Smith-5-2
3-Dewycolorintheline-Ray Schnittker-Schnittker-8-1
4-High Bridge-Yannick Gingras–Jimmy Takter-6-1
5-Super Classic-Brian Sears–Greg Peck-20-1
6-Dreams Of Thunder-George Brennan-Jonas Czernyson-20-1
7-E L Rocket-Yannick Gingras–Ron Burke-4-1
8-Royalty For Life-Brian Sears-George Ducharme-8-5

Hambletonian Elimination 2-Race 8-2:51 p.m.
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML
1-Wheeling N Dealin-Sylvain Filion-Dustin Jones-2-1
2-Aperfectyankee-Jim Oscarsson-Oscarsson-5-2
3-Your So Vain-Andy Miller–Julie Miller-12-1
4-Jacks To Open-Jim Morrill, Jr.-Nick Surick-8-1
5-Celebrity Maserati-Tom Jackson-Susanne Strandqvist-15-1
6-Caveat Emptor-Steve Smith-Ray Schnittker-20-1
7-Dontyouforgetit-Yannick Gingras–Jimmy Takter-7-2
8-Creatine–Mike Lachance-Bob Stewart-6-1

Hambletonian Elimination 3-Race 9-3:18 p.m.
Post-Horse-Driver-Trainer-ML
1-Possessed Fashion-John Campbell-Tom Fanning-4-1
2-Murmur Hanover-Randy Waples-Normand Bardier, Jr.-9-2
3-Banco Solo-Ron Pierce-Ken Oscarsson-15-1
4-All Laid Out-Tim Tetrick–Noel Daley-6-1
5-Corky-David Miller–Jimmy Takter-2-1
6-Spider Blue Chip-Ron Pierce-Chuck Sylvester-5-2
7-Lauderdale-Corey Callahan-Jonas Czernyson-12-1