by Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

A glance at the pedigree of Great George Two, winner of an elimination of Saturday’s $184,425 Dexter Cup at Freehold Raceway, might provoke the question: Great George Who? The three-year-old colt is by the North Carolina trotting stallion Hobokenbahamamamas (3, 2:03, $6,264), out of the pacing mare Within Reach (6, 1:56.2, $35,038). “George” was born in Greenville, North Carolina, and may be the best Standardbred from that state since Tar Heel was born near Winston-Salem in 1948. Hardly seems like a mating that might produce a stakes winner, but trainer and co-owner William “Bib” Roberts knew what he saw on the track almost a year ago.

“I saw him first when he qualified (on June 16, 2004 at Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland). I had another trotting colt in with him and I said, ‘Oh my God, look at that colt.’ His manner and the way he looked, he just looked like a superior horse. He showed it that day. He went out there and qualified (in 2:03.1, winning by 4¼ lengths) and I asked Leon [Harris, his trainer/owner at the time] if he was for sale and he said, ‘No, not right now, not right now,’ and I think I asked him another time. They had some offers for him when they took him to the Meadowlands, (coming in second and third in two-year-old races), but he got sick [in mid July] and Leon just stopped with him. He called me up in September and said he thought he’d like to sell him. He brought him to Rosecroft and I trained him a trip and we bought the horse.”

Roberts declined to name the price, but said it was less than $100,000. Roberts is a co-owner along with Graham Grace Stables (small animal veterinarian Dr. Ainspan and his wife Mary Beth Roberts) of Vienna, Virginia, along with M&W Stables (Thomas Lander of Burlington, North Carolina. Those two also own Thoroughbreds together, and for Lander, George is his first and only Standardbred.

When it came time to put down the cash, Roberts was not deterred by the pacing blood in George’s pedigree. “Not really, not once you’ve seen the horse and seen him in a race,” he said. “His sire is by Supergill [and he is out of the mare Ruby Crown, mother of Hambletonian winner Scarlet Knight] and Direct Scooter (sire of George’s dam) does have some trotting blood in him, he’s out of a Noble Victory mare. He doesn’t want to do anything but trot. He’s got very good manners and he feels good all the time — that’s how he is, playing. Yesterday, he was turned out in his paddock and we kicked an old basketball that was half deflated in with him. He thought that was the greatest thing he’d ever seen, he just grabbed it up played and ran around the paddock with it, he was so happy to have something to play with.”

While Great George Two was not eligible to the Hambletonian when Roberts bought him, and was supplemented to the Dexter at a cost of $25,000, he is eligible to other major stakes. “He’s eligible to the Dancer at the Meadowlands (July 15), Good Times (June 18) at Woodbine, Canadian Trotting Derby (September 24 at Mohawk). But the Hambletonian — we can’t get in that. Not eligible when we bought him.”

So far, George has been perfect for Roberts, winning all but one of his 11 starts (including qualifiers) in his stable. The exception was a late fall race at Colonial Downs in Virginia. “He got his tongue over the bit,” recalled Roberts. “I thought that something was going on, because when I first took him over the track, he’d jump and play for about two miles. I thought, well maybe that’s just him. He did get his tongue over the bit that day (he finished ninth), so the next time I tied his tongue and he’s been a perfect horse. The only reason I didn’t tie it before is that he’d never had it tied, so I thought maybe he didn’t like that.”

Roberts has no concerns about racing him over a half-mile track. “I asked Leon how he was on a small track. He said, ‘Heck, until he came here [the 5/8 mile track at Rosecroft] that’s all he ever saw.’ Leon said he’d raced him at Pocomoke (Virginia) Fair and Ahoskie, North Carolina Fair and those are small tracks.”

Roberts’ 23-year-old son Jonathan will continue to drive the horse. “He gets along with him great, he knows him,” Roberts said. “He really knows the horse and knows how to drive him.”