Arch Madness returns to America; heads field in Titan Cup prep
June 20, 2011,by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications
Ken Weingartner
Freehold, NJ — Arch Madness will make his first start since May’s Elitlopp when he faces five foes Friday night (June 24) in a prep race for the Titan Cup at Meadowlands Racetrack.
Ten older trotters entered the Titan Cup, so eliminations are unnecessary. Arch Madness will start the prep from post No. 6 and will be joined by, from the rail, Buck I St Pat, Pilgrims Chuckie, Enough Talk, Slave Dream, and Four Starz Speed.
Skipping the prep, but participating in the $235,000 Titan Cup final on July 2, will be Corleone Kosmos, Lucky Jim, Neighsay Hanover, and Sir Caviar.
USTA/Mark Hall photo
Arch Madness has won five times in six starts this year, with earnings of $341,545.
Arch Madness has won five of six races this year and earned $341,545. He won three times in the U.S. before heading overseas and winning the $480,647 Oslo Grand Prix on May 15. He then won his elimination for the Elitlopp, on May 29 in Sweden, before finishing sixth in the same-day final.
“He seems good,” trainer Trond Smedshammer said. “He came back from Sweden real good; good and sound, healthy. The only thing that I could see that went wrong over there is it looked like he tied up a little bit for the Elitlopp. That’s the only thing I could see that was wrong there.”
A 7-year-old gelding, Arch Madness has won 24 of 64 career races and earned $2.75 million for owners Marc Goldberg and Willow Pond.
Smedshammer won the Titan Cup with Sand Vic in 2006. This year’s edition features the three most recent winners of the race: Enough Talk (2010), Lucky Jim (2009) and Corleone Kosmos (2008).
Corleone Kosmos’ appearance in the Titan Cup will be his sixth in the event. The 9-year-old gelding, who has won $2.03 million lifetime, is coming off a 1:53 win in the Open Handicap on June 17 at Harrah’s Chester.
Lucky Jim notched his first win of the year when he was victorious in the June 17 Invitational at the Meadowlands. He won by 3-1/4 lengths over Four Starz Speed in 1:52.3. Enough Talk was sixth.