by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — About six months after he hooked him up to the jog cart, George Ducharme realized Royalty For Life possessed some potential.

“I broke him last fall,” explained the Norfolk, Mass., resident. “He just acted like a regular colt, nothing special until we got down to the end of March or first of April. When we started to step it up a little, he acted like he could be a Sire Stakes horse, but I still wasn’t sure he could be a Grand Circuit horse.”

The son of RC Royalty and the Donerail mare Bourbon ‘N Grits debuted with a 1:58.4 win on June 29 in a $3,000 2-year-old contest at Vernon Downs. He was third in his second start on July 6, a New York Sire Stakes event, also at Vernon Downs, before capturing his next three races, all NYSS contests, on July 13, July 20 and July 27 at Buffalo Raceway, Yonkers Raceway and Saratoga Raceway, respectively.

Bred and owned by Alfred Ross and co-owned by Raymond Campbell, Jr. and Paul Fontaine, Royalty For Life came home fifth in the NYSS at Batavia Downs after a costly break in stride on August 3, was second at Tioga Downs in another NYSS race on August 13, and returned to the winner’s circle on August 25 at Vernon Downs in a New York State Fair race.

On Sept. 5, the colt once again couldn’t hold it together on the trot and was seventh in the NYSS at Monticello Raceway. He followed that performance with a victory on Sept. 13 in the NYSS at Yonkers Raceway, and then posted a fourth in the $225,000 New York Sire Stakes final on Sept. 22, when once again the colt broke traveling through the first turn.

Nigel Soult photo

Royalty For Life lowered his mark to 1:54.2 in an International Stallion Stakes division at The Red Mile.

Royalty For Life, who has earned $178,338 from 12 trips to the post with a record of 7-1-1, made his first foray out of the Empire State on Oct. 5 for an engagement in an $82,750 division of the International Stallion Stakes at The Red Mile. The colt defeated world record holder Dontyouforgetit and Major Athens, a $101,000 Bluegrass Stakes divisional victor and second place finisher in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes final.

“In the first couple of qualifiers we took it easy on him,” said Ducharme, a United States Trotting Association Director. “But when we stepped on the gas, he did it and did it willingly. We had a pretty good idea we were going to be good in New York for sure. As we progressed, he showed more speed and when we got him stretched out a little bit we knew he had a chance to step up to the next level.

“After the Vernon mile (on August 25) we had a pretty good idea we were going to give a shot (at Lexington) as long as he stayed sound through New York,” he continued. “That was our biggest goal to start with, so after the final where he made a break and still came on to be fourth after getting back on the last three-quarters, we decided we would give him a chance. I thought he would trot in (1):54 and change down there (Lexington) after he went in (1):55 at Vernon and the week before, on Sunday morning, I trained him a mile in (1):59 with a last quarter in :28 seconds so I thought he’d be pretty good.”

He hit the wire at The Red Mile in 1:54.2, which was the fastest performance of his fledgling career, and this performance also determined where the colt would compete the rest of the season.

“We are going to try him in the Breeders Crown eliminations a week from Friday,” Ducharme said. “I didn’t put him in the Bluegrass on purpose because I didn’t want to race back in six days. I wanted to train him a trip over the track plus it’s an 11 hour ship for us from Vernon and I thought it would be better for the horse to have him fresh for that race so we would have an idea how he would be.

“The other thing is we didn’t miss any dances in New York, so I limited him at Lexington. I didn’t want to go twice and then go to Canada. We would have been looking at 15 starts and that’s a lot for a 2-year-old, but he really impressed me in Lexington when he came home in :27.1. It was a major step up in class for him.”

Ducharme feels Royalty For Life’s issue with staying on stride is something that will pass once he matures.

“He gets around a half just fine and has a win at Yonkers, but the couple of breaks he made were always in the first turn,” he said. “Guys were leaving with him trying to get position and all of a sudden he had to make a left turn. I believe he was just full of trot and it was too much for him. I think he will grow out of it, but he is better on a bigger track, although he did go in (1):58(.4) at Yonkers with a last quarter in :28(.2).”

After his foray north of the border, Royalty For Life will take a well-deserved vacation and point towards next year.

“I like how he has gotten through the summer,” Ducharme said. “He’s held his weight good and he seems just as sharp now as he did six weeks ago. He’s a good horse to be around and doesn’t beat himself up. He’s not real studish and I’m very happy with that.

“I think we are just going to get through this year before we plan anything out,” he continued. “We kept him eligible to all the big stakes for next year. I think we just want to cross this bridge before we get ahead of ourselves.”