from the Meadowlands Publicity Department
East Rutherford, NJ — 18 years after Gary Hoffman reached the Meadowlands’ winner’s circle for the 1986 Hambletonian as the co-owner of Nuclear Kosmos, he is pursuing Hambletonian glory again with a one-eyed colt named Il Pirata. Il Pirata makes his next start in the second leg of the New Jersey Sires Stakes for three-year-old trotters on Thursday night at the Meadowlands. The Sires Stake is a stepping-stone on the path to the $1.2 million Hambletonian, harness racing’s ultimate prize, on August 7 at the Meadowlands. Hoffman and Per Henriksen, who also trained Nuclear Kosmos, purchased the unraced colt prior to the start of his three-year-old season. “Per and I bought three horses together at the Harrisburg Sale, and he was one of them,” Hoffman said. “I know they trained him down at two and then turned him out. The first time Per trained him, he thought he could be something special.” The son of Valley Victory was originally named Aparicio, but Hoffman and Henriksen renamed him in a good-humored nod to the colt’s appearance. “He’s got one eye,” Hoffman explained. “The other one is sewn shut. We’re not sure how it happened, but it was something that happened when he was a baby. We changed his name to Il Pirata — The Pirate — when we bought him, and that’s why.” Il Pirata has improved in each of his four starts and turned in his best performance yet in last week’s first round of the New Jersey Sires Stakes. Il Pirata cut the mile and finished third, beaten a neck by the winner, Self Obsessed. “(Per) thinks he can trot in 1:54 this week,” Hoffman said. “He was really green in his first few races and Per wanted to get in another race before the Sires Stakes. We entered him, but he didn’t get in. Every race he’s been better. We knew we had a good horse, but we were hoping we had a special horse and that’s something we’re still hoping for.” Although Henriksen drove the horse in his first four starts, Hoffman added that, “Per will put John Campbell up for Thursday.” Hoffman, a 53-year-old resident of Montville, New Jersey, has been an active owner and breeder of Standardbred racehorses for 25 years. “I first got involved with horses in 1979,” he explained. “I always hung around the racetrack. I’ve always been a gambler by nature. I am a commodities trader on the floor of the (New York Stock) Exchange. My wife, Ellen, loves the horses, and if it wasn’t for her, I probably wouldn’t be involved in this business. We’re originally from New York. I am from Queens, and my wife is from the Bronx. I used to always go to Yonkers and Roosevelt in New York. We moved to New Jersey in 1976.” Hoffman got his feet wet in harness racing with trainer-driver Lucien Fontaine. He formed a successful business partnership and friendship with Per Henriksen in 1984. “Since I’ve been with him, I’ve always let Per make the decisions,” he said. “He knows the business and knows the horses’ abilities.” One of Hoffman’s first purchases with Henriksen was Nuclear Kosmos, a $24,000 yearling who went on to straight heat victories in the 1986 Hambletonian. Although Henriksen had been the colt’s regular pilot, he made an unprecedented decision to call in Norway’s top reinsman, Ulf Thoresen, to drive Nuclear Kosmos in the Hambletonian. “Other than the adoptions of our two children, winning the Hambletonian was the second greatest moment of my life,” Hoffman recalled. “I was really happy for Per and Ulf Thoresen. Ulf was a big name overseas, but no one here had heard of him. It was just a thrill of a lifetime!” The Meadowlands shifts to a Tuesday through Saturday night racing schedule for the month of June. First post is 7:30 p.m. The Big M Survival Challenge begins on Wednesday There is still time to enroll in The Big M Survival Challenge, the Meadowlands’ free online handicapping contest, which begins on Wednesday on the track’s website, www.thebigm.com. The contest runs from June 8 through closing day of the Standardbred meet, August 7. Each day participants choose one horse in each of three designated races. To “survive” and continue to the next day in the contest, at least one of the three selections must finish first, second or third. Contestants accumulate a mythical bankroll based on a $2 win, place and show wager on each selection. Prizes will be awarded based on total bankroll and there will be bonus awards for most number of winners and most three-for-three winning days. The grand prize is $2,000 and Continental Airlines round-trip tickets for two anywhere in the continental United States. The second place prize is $500 and Continental Airlines round-trip tickets for two anywhere in the continental United States. Blackout restrictions apply to the airline tickets. The third place prize is $250 plus a 13-inch Sharp Electronics flat-screen LCD AQUOS television. Two bonus awards for most number of winners and three bonus awards for most three-for-three days of $500 and a 13-inch Sharp Electronics flat-screen LCD AQUOS television will also be presented. The complete rules for the Big M Survival Challenge are available on the Meadowlands’ website. The game may only be played online and enrollment must be completed by 7:00 p.m. on June 8. Hambo Tony is back on the road to the Hambletonian Hambo Tony, the fuzzy bay trotter who is the mascot for the Hambletonian at the Meadowlands, has embarked on his third season of personal appearances to promote harness racing’s most prestigious event. He distributes candy, passes to the track and reminds people that the $1 million Hambletonian will be held on Saturday, August 7 at the Meadowlands. Future events on his schedule include the North Plainfield (NJ) Street Fair on June 12; Taste of Rutherford (NJ) on June 24; the Goshen Historic Track and Harness Racing Museum (Goshen, NY) on July 2, 3, 4 and 5; Ocean County (NJ) Fair on July 17; Monmouth County (NJ) Fair on July 24 and the Hambletonian Parade (Rutherford, NJ) on July 31. He has already appeared at the Lions Club Strawberry Festival in Oceanport, New Jersey on May 28 and the Meadowlands open house program on May 29.