by Dean A. Hoffman
Dean Hoffman Columbus, OH —
Every promoter knows that the rematch is often more exciting than the first big show. And it will be tough — mighty tough — to top the show that these two monsters put on in the Meadowlands Pace. It’s by far the most exciting event of the season and I suspect it’s one of those rare enduring races that will stay with horsemen forever and a day.
But let’s be fair to the champ. Before the Meadowlands Pace, Somebeachsomewhere and Art Official had met three times this season and SBSW trounced Art Official in each of them. Only in the Meadowlands Pace did the Joe Seekman-trained star pace on even terms with the champ and even thrust his head in front at the wire.
These two tower over the sophomore pacing class and you can be assured that every angle of their rematch will be analyzed. Which one drew the best post? Which one had the most impressive prep?
Many people hope that the rematch might come in the Little Brown Jug, but SBSW’s trainer Brent MacGrath has indicated for quite some time that the Jug is not on his schedule.
It certainly is for Art Official, who is off a smashing win Monday in the Cane Pace. In the Cane elimination, Art Official paced his winning mile in 1:50.4. A lot of good pacers have raced over the Freehold twice-around over the years, but none have gone faster than Art Official.
So now Art Official can hang that 1:50.4h badge next to his 1:47 speed badge earned in the Meadowlands Pace. Not bad for a horse that didn’t win a single race last year. And he’s pocketed more than $1.2 million this season.
Neither SBSW nor Art Official are pint-sized pacers; they’re big strapping dudes that you might expect would have trouble whirling around the turns, but their most recent wins prove otherwise. Art Official seemed fine at Freehold and when SBSW won the Confederation Cup at Flamboro, all he did is pace in 1:49.2, fastest ever for a sophomore on a small oval.
It’s interesting that the world record came in the second heat of the Confederation Cup. It reminds me of last year’s Kentucky Futurity. That morning I did a telephone interview on Sirius Satellite Radio and Bill Finley, the superb racing writer for the New York Times, mentioned that the Futurity would be the first time that Donato Hanover ever had to go heats.
Finley asked me if I thought going heats might affect Donato and I said I thought he would do fine, and I think I mentioned the quote from one active veteran trainer that his horses always went faster the second heat.
That’s exactly what happened with Donato Hanover in the Kentucky Futurity as he trotted in 1:50.1, equaling the fastest trotting mile ever, set that very same day by the gallant old mare Giant Diablo. (Note that SBSW got his half-mile track record in the second heat of a race, too.)
So I don’t think that the heats of the Jug will impair Art Official’s times at all and he might even pace under 1:50 there. The Jug is often decided by post draw and racing luck, so a win at Delaware isn’t guaranteed for Art Official even without SBSW in the field. I’ve become a big fan of Badlands Nitro this season.
So it’s most likely that the rematch between the two will come at Lexington, perhaps on Saturday afternoon, October 4, when The Red Mile conducts the $700,000 (est.) Tattersalls Pace. Assuming that Art Official goes two heats in the Jug, trainer Joe Seekman may not want to race him back the first week at Lexington, so he should be primed and ready for the rematch on October 4.
That’s a race that everyone in the sport should try to witness, particularly since it will be part of an afternoon program that includes the Kentucky Futurity.
If not in the Tattersalls, perhaps in the Breeders Crown.
Whenever and wherever it occurs, the rematch between SBSW and Art Official is one I don’t want to miss.