by Tom Kelley, publicity director, Balmoral Park

Crete, IL — In what could be the most wide open of the eight American-National stakes carded for Saturday at Balmoral Park, a very evenly matched field of 10 sophomore pacing colts will line up behind the gate to battle in the night’s richest event, the $260,000 American-National 3-year-old colt pace.

Lisa photo

Hurrikane Kingcole has won five times in 2012, with earnings of $231,304.

From the inside post Hurrikane Kingcole figures to be one of the top contenders in this event for trainer John McDermott. The brilliantly fast 3-year-old pacer has at times looked like a world beater. Then there were the times when he would simply beat himself.

McDermott planned out a 3-year-old season for his $10,000 bargain basement purchase with a mindset to race the colt from off the pace. With as much speed as the Cam’s Card Shark sired colt possessed, McDermott was well aware that Hurrikane Kingcole was virtually impossible to slow down or rate once he got fired up.

The strategy led to some impressive wins like his 1:48.1 clocking in the Max Hempt elimination at Pocono but also some disappointing defeats like the one he suffered in the final of that event after a tough trip.

After missing the Meadowlands Pace final after another come from behind effort, Hurrikane Kingcole captured the consolation, sailing by horses to win in a career best of 1:47.3.

One of the most amazing performances of the colt’s up and down career came on Hambo Day when driver Yannick Gingras decided to “float” the horse to the front in the $275,000 New Jersey Classic final. After a :26.3 opening quarter Hurrikane Kingcole turned into a virtual runaway, pacing through three-quarters of a mile in 1:18.2, the fastest time ever posted in the sport’s history. Unfortunately, a pocket sitting Panther Hanover wore down the pace–setter in the closing yards to win in 1:47.2.

After some time off due to some troubles with his blood counts, Hurrikane Kingcole has come back strong, winning at Pocono in 1:49 and finishing fourth in the Monument Circle at Indiana Downs in his most recent start.

When asked if the colt’s performances have started to take a toll on his conditioner he was quite clear about his affinity for the winner of nearly $500,000.

“People ask me if it’s frustrating to have a horse like this,” said McDermott. “What’s frustrating is to have a horse that can’t break 2:40 no matter how hard you try to make him go. This colt is a pleasure to be around and I can’t tell you how many people came up to me in Lexington to talk about him. Carter Duer told me the only horse he’d ever seen that had a gait to match Hurrikane Kingcole’s was Jenna’s Beach Boy. That meant a lot to me.

“I really believe this horse is going to be different and better at four and five,” added McDermott. “Right now you can’t slow him down after you start him up, but I think over time he’ll learn to go fast and be able to relax.”

American Jewel looks to shine in American-National

Fresh off a scintillating victory in the $500,000 Breeders Crown 3-year-old filly pace, Brittany Farms’ prized filly American Jewel will try to stamp her name on divisional honors when she takes on nine other sophomore distaffers in Saturday’s $145,000 American-National stake.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Breeders Crown champion American Jewel has banked more than $1 million in her sophomore campaign.

Checking into Balmoral after her big come from behind win in the Breeders Crown, the world record holder (1:48.2–Mohawk) and number six rated horse in all of North America was a question mark for her journey to Crete because of the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy, according to conditioner Jimmy Takter, who was also named Most Valuable Trainer of the 2012 Breeders Crown.

“I really wanted to send her to Balmoral for this event but I wasn’t sure we were going to be able to,” said the 42-year-old Swedish born Takter. “The storm hit us pretty hard at our farm in East Windsor, New Jersey, which is about 80 miles north of Atlantic City where the storm came ashore, but we’ve managed to get our operation going again so I decided to go ahead with our original plan to bring her here.”

Sporting a record of 8-4-2 in 15 starts this year with earnings of almost $1.1 million, the daughter of American Ideal has captured such prestigious events as the $629,160 Fan Hanover, where she set her world record, $250,000 Lynch Memorial and $207,930 Simcoe Stake.

Not bad for a filly that was forced to miss last year’s Breeders Crown after suffering a fractured sesamoid, possibly costing her a chance at divisional honors despite winning eight of nine starts and finishing second in the other, as well as setting another world record of 1:50.2 while winning the She’s A Great Lady stake.

Handled throughout her illustrious career by driver Tim Tetrick, who is currently zeroing in on an astonishing sixth straight North American earnings title, American Jewel definitely seems to be one of his favorites as evidenced by his joy after winning this year’s Breeders Crown.

“I’m just really tickled with this mare. She deserves a Breeders Crown. She got hurt last year and didn’t make it, but she made up for it. I knew there were some good horses behind me and I was first up into the wind. You never know. My mare raced great. She held them off and she’s a champion.

“She’s got high, high speed; she can cut her own mile out, she can rough it, she can win first up — and she can just go really fast,” Tetrick added. “She’s at the top of the list of pacing fillies. The good ones don’t need the trip or the track to carry around with them. They do it wherever they’ve got to go and track size, difficulty of the trip or the conditions don’t seem to bother them.”