by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Trainer Robin Schadt is probably anxious for “the little horse” to get a little luck.

After battling sickness and foot soreness that resulted in off-the-board finishes last month in a division of the Somebeachsomewhere Stakes and the final of the North America Cup in Canada, 3-year-old colt pacer Odds On Equuleus drew post No. 10 for Saturday’s $50,000 Meadowlands Pace elimination.

The top seven finishers from the elim advance to the $635,750 Meadowlands Pace final on July 13 at the Meadowlands Racetrack. They will be joined by Captaintreacherous, Twilight Bonfire and Wake Up Peter, who received byes based on seasonal earnings.

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Odds On Equuleus enters the Meadowlands Pace elimination with career earnings of $429,784.

Owned by Dana Parham’s Odds On Racing, Odds On Equuleus won five of nine races last season and earned $417,534. His victories included divisions of the International Stallion and Nassagaweya stakes and he finished second to Captaintreacherous in the $1.01 million Metro Pace.

This year, he is winless in three races, with $12,250 in purses. He was second to Vegas Vacation in his elimination for the North America Cup, but finished ninth in the final after drawing post eight and racing on the outside for most of the mile.

“He just wasn’t himself and when he drew outside we knew it was going to be trouble,” Schadt said. “It was a mess, but it’s all behind us and there’s a lot of racing left. I have total confidence in our colt. But you’re only as good as your last effort and we need to get back on the track and put Canada behind us.”

Odds On Equuleus, whose name comes from the constellation Equuleus, which is known as “the little horse,” has not raced since the North America Cup on June 15, but trained at the Meadowlands last Saturday.

“He went 1:51 and change; it was a good mile,” Schadt said. “I think he’s back to himself. His attitude is better, his appetite is good, his blood work is good. He’s playing with his ball again. I think he’s rebounded nicely.”

Odds On Equuleus is a homebred son of stallion Art Major out of the mare Latte Lady. His family includes Latte Lady’s full-brother Driven To Win, who was the 2003 Kentucky Sire Stakes champion and finished third in the 2004 Adios, as well as multiple-stakes-winners She’s A Great Lady and The Big Dog.

Schadt hopes Odds On Equuleus can become the star many envisioned.

“We had high expectations coming into this year and those expectations haven’t been met,” Schadt said. “We just have to regroup. That’s the way it goes in this business. The ups are great and the downs are brutal.”

The nine foes Odds On Equuleus will face in the Meadowlands Pace elim are, in post position order, Someplace Special, Johny Rock, Sir Cary’s Z Tam, Sir Richard Z Tam, Sunshine Beach, Resistance Futile, Lonewolf Currier, Rockin Amadeus and Beach Memories.

Beach Memories, trained by Brian Brown, has won five of eight races this year and is coming off a win at Mohegan Sun at Pocono Downs in the $50,000 Hempt Memorial Consolation in 1:48.3, equaling the world record for 3-year-old gelding pacers on a five-eighths-mile track.

Rockin Amadeus, trained by Jimmy Takter, won last year’s Breeders Crown and this season’s New Jersey Sire Stakes championship, where he defeated Johny Rock by a neck. Johny Rock, trained by John Butenschoen, was last year’s New Jersey Sire Stakes champ.

Sunshine Beach, trained by Mark Steacy, won a division of the Somebeachsomewhere last month and was fifth in the North America Cup. Blair Burgess’ Resistance Futile won the Junior Trendsetter Series at the Meadowlands in March. Lonewolf Currier, trained by Kevin McDermott, was second in the Art Rooney Pace last month at Yonkers, where Patrick Lachance’s Sir Cary’s Z Tam finished third.