from Meadowlands Publicity Department

The razor-sharp Canadian shipper Cosington heads the field for the $84,500 Horse & Groom Final on Sunday afternoon at the Meadowlands. The five-year-old son of Malabar Man is rated as the 5-2 morning line favorite in the seventh race Horse & Groom Final. Trevor Ritchie will once again make the commute from Canada to be in the sulky. Cosington entered the Horse & Groom Series off back-to-back victories in the junior free for all ranks at Woodbine. After getting shuffled out of contention in the first leg of the Horse & Groom on February 22, he rebounded with a well-rated 1:55.3 victory in last week’s second leg of the series.

The gelding is owned by Todd J. Gimblett of Port Hope, Ontario, and John W. Gimblett of Whitby, Ontario. He is under the care of trainer Kevin McDermott in New Jersey.

Cosington was a $45,000 purchase at the Harrisburg Mixed Sale last November for the Gimbletts. Their investment paid immediate dividends as Cosington won three of his first four starts for his new ownership.

Cosington began his 2004 campaign in the Horseman Series at Woodbine. After he won the second leg of the three-week series, the Gimbletts pledged 25 percent of his earnings in the $89,750 final on January 18 to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society, a charitable organization that finds homes for retired and non-racing standardbreds. Cosington could not overcome post 10 in the Horseman Final and finished sixth. Although he did not earn a check, the Gimbletts donated $1,500 to the Ontario Standardbred Adoption Society.

Cosington has a career record of 13 wins in 38 starts and $178,927 in earnings.

PP Horse Driver Trainer ML
1 Greensview Hanover Trond Smedshammer Trond Smedshammer 6-1
2 Five Kids Brian Sears David M. Smith 8-1
3 DJ Strikes David Miller William Smith 12-1
4 Dink Adoo Stephane Bouchard Dennis Laterza 12-1
5 Cosington Trevor Ritchie Kevin McDermott 5-2
6 Solicitor Hanover Mike Lachance Bruce Riegle 15-1
7 Rickie Ron Pierce Jim Raymer 5-1
8 Ray Gun George Brennan Lora Sodano 10-1
9 Pinetucky Yannick Gingras George Berkner 4-1
10 No Nonsense Man Stephen Smith Kelly Stackowicz 15-1

PAIR OF PACING STARS EYE 2004 CAMPAIGNS

Trainer Joe Seekman reports that Kikikatie, the 2003 Two-Year-Old Pacing Filly of the Year, is right on schedule for her sophomore campaign. Owned by Linda and Lee DeVisser of Holland, Michigan, Kikikatie won 14 of 15 starts and earned $788,044 in 2003. Her major stakes victories included the $568,172 She’s A Great Lady at Woodbine and the $225,000 Matron at Dover. Her lone defeat came at the hands of Pans Culottes in the $470,000 Breeders Crown Final on November 29, 2003 at the Meadowlands.

“We gave her 30 days off and slowly brought her back,” Seekman said. “She’s been back in the barn since January 1. She wintered well and is physically where she stopped at two, just a little bigger. We’re not going to race her until May or June. She has the American-National [July 3 at Balmoral]. At the Meadowlands, she has the Tarport Hap [July 23] and the Mistletoe Shalee [August 7].”

Allamerican Theory, the 2003 Meadowlands Pace winner, is also being readied for a 2004 campaign.

“He’s doing great, fabulous actually,” said the stallion’s co-owner John Levy, a resident of Hamilton, Ontario. “When you set them down for a while, you expect them to lose something. But he hardly did at all. He’s huge and looks great. Last year he had some pus problems [in his hoof] up front, and we decided not to compromise and race him. We didn’t finish what we started out to do with him.”

Trained by Des Tackoor, Allamerican Theory won nine of 19 starts in 2003 and earned $827,565. His brightest moment was a 1:49.3 victory in the $1 million Meadowlands Pace. Allamerican Theory last raced on October 11, finishing second by a head in a Messenger Elimination at The Meadows. He had to be scratched from the final because of a foot infection and then was turned out for the remainder of the season. Levy, who shares ownership of the four-year-old son of Jenna’s Beach Boy with Mark Scholes of Dundas, Ontario, is looking forward to the pacer’s return to the races.

“We had some feelers about standing him, but we didn’t give any feedback to that idea,” Levy said. “We were not retiring him; we’re racing him to take care of some unfinished business.”

Levy indicated that the $650,000 estimated William R. Haughton Memorial [eliminations on July 3, final on July 10] at the Meadowlands will be the season’s first major stakes event for Allamerican Theory.