by Dean A. Hoffman

Longshot bettors have reason to love Lavec Dream. So does owner Peter Kleinhans.

Longshot lovers are partial to the 5-year-old trotting mare because she pays off in boxcar figures when she wins. She was 22-1 in the $85,000 Classic Series on Saturday night at the Meadowlands and romped to a 2-3/4 length win. In her previous win at the Delaware (Ohio) fair, she went off at 48-1.

Peter Kleinhans is partial to the 5-year-old trotting mare because she’s earned $156,857 this year, more than half of it in those two victories.

Lisa Photo

Lavec Dream romped to victory in the $85,000 Classic Series on Saturday night at the Meadowlands at odds of 22-1.

“I never expected her to be this good,” admits Kleinhans, who is her trainer as well as her occasional driver. “After she won the Miss Versatility final at Delaware, she moved to a different level and has stayed there.”

Kleinhans has owned the daughter of Enjoy Lavec for more than three years and always thought she would be a good horse, but “now she can race with the best horses in the country.”

In fact, he’s puzzled by the fact that Lavec Dream went off at 21-1 on Saturday night.

“I thought it was a two-horse race between her and Mystical Sunshine [who went off at 3-2 odds],” he says. “I didn’t get a chance to bet on her because I was too busy in the paddock getting her ready.”

Kleinhans says that Lavec Dream’s races at Dover and Woodbine prior to Saturday night’s win were much better than they appear on paper.

“She was first-over into some fast fraction at Dover in The Classic Series in early November,” he says. “That race was a little disappointing, but she might have flipped her palate there. Before that she went a terrific race at Woodbine. Once again she was first-over into fast fractions from post nine. She finished fourth, but was just caught by a couple horses that got better trips.”

Kleinhans knows how to assess a horse’s performance because he’s an astute handicapper himself and is currently working on a harness racing handicapping book. A man of many talents, Kleinhans is also a lawyer and is currently teaching law classes at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York. He’s also been a race announcer and TV talent at various tracks in addition to training and racing his stable.

Kleinhans points out that much of the credit for Lavec Dream’s success this year goes to his farm manager Randy McCown, who has nursed her through various minor ailments. The mare gets plenty of turnout time at his New Jersey farm and he says that McCown “really loves this horse.”

“She’s sounder now and she’s more mature,” Kleinhans says. “Sometimes it takes a while for a trotter to get really good. She’s perfect to drive most of the time, but she can get a little hot and you have to race her off the pace every once in a while. Also, she wears flip-flop shoes in front and we have to take those off her periodically and she’s not as good if she doesn’t wear them. She needs a little weight in front.”

Kleinhans understands the vagaries of racing well enough to understand that today’s triumph can be followed by tomorrow’s defeat, so he is enjoying his successful season with Lavec Dream. But he’s also looking forward to The Classic Series final at Dover on Nov. 27.

He is also speaking in hopeful terms about his young trotter Nag Man that Kleinhans think could be a good one.