by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — Has there been any harness racing fan on the planet that has not been wowed by State Treasurer’s performances this year? From his first-over trip to capture his third consecutive Molson Pace, to his world race record in the U.S. Pacing Championship and then his tour de force in the Canadian Pacing Derby, the 6-year-old stallion has been nothing less than scintillating in 2015. He will once again be looking to demonstrate his brilliance on Friday (Oct. 2) in the $138,500 Dayton Pacing Derby at Hollywood Gaming Dayton Raceway.

The Dayton Pacing Derby will share the spotlight on Friday with the $135,750 Dayton Trotting Derby. The second annual editions of the pair of Grand Circuit stakes have attracted some of the best older horses in North America, as well as several nationally acclaimed drivers.

“I trained him lightly on Monday and then again today,” said State Treasurer‘s conditioner Dr. Ian Moore. “I won’t be able to make this race as we have the Ontario Sire Stakes this weekend and I have four in, but Teesha Symes, who has worked with him for several years, will be with him. He will truck down tomorrow.”

By Real Desire and out of the Western Ideal mare Ideal Treasure, State Treasurer was a $6,500 yearling purchase at the 2010 Standardbred Horse Sale for Paul and Sally MacDonald.

Moore told the MacDonalds in the winter of 2014 that the stallion was in the best form of his life and he certainly did not disappoint, as he earned $464,311 last year while capturing the Allerage Farm and Molson Pace.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

State Treasurer enters the Dayton Pacing Derby with eight wins this year and earnings of $788,357.

State Treasurer has always kept top company and more than held his own throughout his career, which has consisted of 86 trips to the post with a record of 29-13-10 and more than $1.7 million in the bank. This season, however, is the one where all the racing gods aligned as State Treasurer is one of the top stars in the sport.

In this week’s contest, he will begin pacing from post position five with Hall of Famer David Miller holding the lines. State Treasurer faces the likes of Let’s Drink On It, All Bets Off, Shamballa, Foiled Again, Beach Memories and Doo Wop Hanover.

Competitive is a conservative word to describe the status of this field, but State Treasurer has the swiftest time as well as the most purse money collected in 2015 among the field of nine.

“The U.S. Pacing Championship was so exciting,” Moore said. “All of us, the entire team that works with him, were all there to see him take his lifetime mark, so it was very special. Of course the Canadian Pacing Derby was a great win, but his third victory in the Molson Pace means more than words can say. Three of them in a row? It is an event for us. I make hamburgers and grill out. It’s a family affair and this horse is one of the family. We all feel the same way about that. He is a part of us.”

Moore knew he had a talented individual on his hands when State Treasurer was just learning his job and although his 2-year-old campaign was not exactly sparkling with only one triumph from eight starts, he never relinquished his belief the horse would show the world what he was made of. At age three he earned more than $235,000 and competed admirably in the North America Cup, Cane Pace and Confederation Cup. As a 4-year-old he amassed just short of $190,000 and captured his first Molson Pace.

Last year, he upped his game to another level and this year he has been superb in earning $788,357 with a record of 15-8-1-4 no matter what kind of trip he must endure.

“It doesn’t matter if he wins,” Moore said. “I know every time he goes out there he tries so hard. He always does more than his best. Some horses have the desire but can only go in 2:10. You love them anyway, because they do have that desire. This horse is fortunate enough to not only have the desire but to be able to go much faster than 2:10. It is not something that comes along very often. To have all of that in a horse.”

Moore feels the reason State Treasurer has been so outstanding this year is his ability to handle shipping and he has learned to relax.

“We were never able to drive him the way we can now because he would get too grabby,” he said. “He is much easier to drive this year because of that. Also, we could never truck him all that much before. He handles trucking all over the place just fine now. I also don’t train him as hard as I used to and he gets a lot of turn out time, which keeps him a happy horse. It’s our job to keep them all happy and that is what is most important.”

After State Treasurer participates in this weekend’s event, he will prepare to defend his Allerage crown in the Bluegrass State. His engagement after that will be the Breeders Crown and his final race of the season will be the TVG at the Meadowlands in November.

“We will bring him back after Ohio and then truck him down to Kentucky on Wednesday,” Moore said. “That’s really the last race he will have to truck for as the Breeders Crown is at home. When we go to Florida in November we will drop him off in New Jersey for the TVG. After that race we will pull his shoes and give him about two months off.

“We haven’t received any calls about his stallion career, because his pedigree probably isn’t fashionable as he’s a Real Desire. He’s the best horse by him and if someone wants a racehorse this would be the one to have as a stallion. He is all desire with the speed and intelligence to complete the package. We will just continue to race him and will begin preparing him to win his fourth Molson Pace (in 2016).”

Below are the fields for Friday’s Dayton Pacing Derby and Dayton Trotting Derby.

$138,500 Dayton Pacing Derby
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Let’s Drink On It-Travis Seekman-Tina Seekman
2-Santa Fe Beachboy-Dave Palone-Brian Brown
3-All Bets Off-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke
4-Shamballa-Rick Zeron-Rick Zeron
5-State Treasurer-David Miller-Dr. Ian Moore
6-Mattamerican-TBA-Norm Parker
7-Foiled Again-Yannick Gingras-Ron Burke
8-Beach Memories-Dave Palone-Brian Brown
9-Doo Wop Hanover-John Campbell-Steve Elliott

$135,750 Dayton Trotting Derby
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Il Sogno Dream-Aaron Merriman-Christopher Beaver
2-DW’s NY Yank-Matt Kakaley-Ron Burke
3-Wind Of The North-Dave Palone-Daryl Bier
4-Southwind Pepino-Hugh Beatty-Hugh Beatty
5-Shake It Cerry-Yannick Gingras-Jimmy Takter
6-Obrigado-Mark MacDonald-Paul Kelley
7-Rompaway Galaxy-Chris Page-Krista Harmon
8-Tinder-Tyler Smith-Jeff Smith