By Kimberly Rinker for Balmoral Park Publicity

Crete, IL — Two-million dollar winner Father Patrick invades the Chicago racing scene on Saturday (Oct. 11) night, headlining a field of ten sophomore trotters in the $203,000 American National 3-Year-Old Colt Trot, slated as the fourth race on the big American National Night program.

USTA/Mark Hall Photo

Father Patrick will be looking for his 21st win in 25 career starts when he takes on nine other sophomore trotting colts in Saturday’s $203,000 American National at Balmoral Park.

Takter named the colt in honor of the Rev. Patrick McDonnell of the St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church in Hightstown, N.J. McDonnell said he was first taken aback, then welcomed the idea of having a horse named after him.

“Most people have a baby named after them,” McDonnell, 70, offered. “What do you do when you have a 1,200-pound horse named after you when it comes to birthdays and things like that?”

Takter, 53, was inducted into the Harness Racing Hall of Fame in 2012 and has conditioned three Hambletonian champions, including this year’s winner Trixton, who he also drove to victory in trotting’s biggest event. He also harnessed Hambo champs Muscle Massive in 2010 and Malabar Man in 1997. Despite training more than 1,487 winners to $86,429,844 in purses, Takter says Father Patrick is in a league of his own.

“I had a lot of great horses,” he acknowledged. “I’d been looking for that horse I consider quite outstanding. I think Father Patrick is that horse. He’s so flexible, has a great gait and a very sound horse. He’s extremely easy to work with and never gives you a bad day He’s one of a kind.”

Father Patrick was the unanimous choice by the US Harness Writers as the Dan Patch Award winning 2-Year-Old Trotting Colt of 2013 when he won 10 of 11 starts, including the Peter Haughton Memorial, William Wellwood Memorial and the Breeders Crown, setting a world record mark of 1:52.1f at Pocono Downs. He was also the leading money winner in his division with $744,047 in seasonal earnings in 2013.

This year, Father Patrick’s wins include a 1:50.4 triumph in a division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile on Sept. 28, and wins in the $613,800 Canadian Trotting Classic; the $260,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Championship Final, the $340,000 Zweig Memorial, the $500,000 Earl Beal Jr at Pocono Downs in a world record time of 1:50.2f and the $317,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial in 1:51.3, among others.

Last Sunday at The Red Mile he was bested by stablemate Nuncio in the $435,000 Kentucky Futurity in the late stretch after battling the latter throughout the last half of the race.

Coincidentally, Nuncio was only horse to defeat Father Patrick during his freshman campaign. That tough-luck loss did nothing to tarnish the colt’s image with regular driver Yannick Gingras who was still singing his praises after the loss.

“He’s a great horse,” Gingras stated. “When I made the move to the Meadowlands, I made it to drive great horses and he’s definitely the most talented horse I’ve driven.”

The Father Patrick Stable is comprised of owners Adam Bowden, John Fielding, Christina Takter, Brittany Farms, Brixton Medical AB, Marvin Katz, Al Libfeld and Sam Goldband.

Co-owner Bowden owns Diamond Creek Farm, which has facilities in both Kentucky and Pennsylvania, and it’s at one of those facilities that Father Patrick will stand stud once his racing career is finished.

Father Patrick was bred by Brittany Farms, and is a son of Cantab Hall out of the unraced Enjoy Lavec mare Gala Dream. He was a $105,000 yearling purchase at the 2012 Lexington Selected Sale and is a full brother to million-dollar-earner and 2010 Dan Patch Award winner Pastor Stephen, 3, 1:52.4s, ($1,048,607). He also has a 2-year-old full brother in Whom Shall I Fear (a $475,000 yearling purchase at the 2013 Lexington Selected Sale), who finished second by a head on Oct. 3 at Lexington to longshot Aldabaran Eagle in 1:55.1 with Gingras in the sulky. Takter also conditions this colt.

The Spotlight is on Limelight Beach In Saturday’s American National

USTA/Mark Hall Photo

Limelight Beach will put a three-race winning streak on the line when trainer Ron Burke sends this year’s Little Brown Jug winner postward in Saturday’s $227,000 American National 3-year-old colt pace.

Limelight Beach picked the perfect time of year to blossom.

The sophomore son of Somebeachsomewhere has done nothing less than win his last three starts with aplomb for trainer Ronnie Burke, and now tackles the daunting job of capturing Saturday’s 11th race—the $227,000 American National Pace for 3-year-old pacing colts and geldings.

He’s certainly proven he’s up to the task, as Burke harnessed the bay gelding to a pair of victories on Sept. 18 in one of harness racing’s most prestigious events—the Little Brown Jug—the second leg of pacing’s Triple Crown.

Contested over Delaware, Ohio’s half-mile, county fair oval, Limelight Beach and driver Yannick Gingras captured the 69th edition of the pacing classic in straight heats of 1:51 and 1:50.4.

“It was a dream come true—winning the Jug,” Gingras said, after he and trainer Burke had both captured their very first Little Brown Jug title.

“Hopefully, this is the start of something big for him,” Burke noted. “Maybe he’s coming into his own now.”

It would appear that is the case. On Sept. 27, Limelight Beach fittingly scored an impressive, wire-to-wire victory in a $92,600 Somebeachsomewhere Bluegrass Stake division at Lexington’s Red Mile in a career best 1:49.1.

Limelight Beach had been paired with Delaware-Ohio based trainer Brian Brown until early July, when he made the switch to the Burke Stable.

Owned by Burke Racing Stable, Weaver Bruscemi, M1 Stable and Wingfield Brothers, Limelight Beach won six of 10 races last year, with victories in Bluegrass and International Stallion stakes divisions as a 2-year-old, earning $210,192.

This season he’s amassed $515,038 from 15 starts with three wins, seven seconds and one third, pushing his lifetime bankroll to $725,230.

Limelight Beach was a $25,000 yearling purchase at the 2012 Standardbred Horse Sale at Harrisburg and is the second foal out of the Badlands Hanover mare Benear p,4,1:49.3f ($319,321). He is a full brother to Benearthebeach p,3,1:53.2f ($66,226) and Momas Got A Gun p,2,1:55f ($13,420).

His main rival appears to be stablemate and million dollar earner JK Endofanera—who won the $218,300 Tattersalls at The Red Mile in 1:49.1 on Oct. 4—and Let’s Drink On It, who also won a heat of the Jug in 1:51, but then finished a bottled-up second to Limelight Beach in the final.

Burke, who has conditioned 5,464 winners to $116,631,100 in career earnings, will also throw the harness on the backs of Somesizesomestyle (post 2) and At Press Time (post 3) in addition to JK Endofanera (post 9) and Limelight Beach (post 8).