by Harness Racing Communications, a division of the USTA

Trainer Mickey Burke still believes in older pacer Maltese Artist. So much so, in fact, that he and his wife, Sylvia, recently bought a quarter share of the gelding.

“Last year after he lost a race at the end of the season, I told people that if anyone had said he’d win $200,000, we’d have signed up so quick our arms would have snapped off. Well, he won $463,000,” Burke said. “Don’t worry about Maltese, he’ll be fine. I wouldn’t have put up the money I did if I didn’t think he’d be fine. At the end of the year will he have another $463,000? Probably not. But he’ll make between $250,000 and $300,000 – you can bet on it.”

Maltese Artist will be heading to Northfield Park in Ohio to defend his title in Saturday’s $125,000 Battle of Lake Erie. There, he will face last year’s runner-up, Ponder, marking the first time in the race’s 21-year history that the first- and second-place finishers from the previous year have returned for a rematch. Only twice has there been a repeat winner, Jaguar Spur in 1988-89 and Peruvian Hanover in 2002-03.

“Last year was a thriller and he can do the same thing this year,” Burke said. “That’s a nice bunch of horses, though. A lot is going to depend on the draw.”

Maltese Artist, who has won two of seven starts this year, last competed on May 29, finishing last after going off stride in the First State Free-For-All at Harrington Raceway in Delaware. The race was won by Spirit Of A Shark, who also is slated to race in the Battle of Lake Erie.

“They were going so fast into that first turn – they were just rocking – and he’s a big horse,” Burke said. “He crossfired and made a break, but he’s fine.”

Ponder looked ready to be the dominant force in the older pacer division after his win in the Graduate at the Meadowlands on May 20, but since then has been beset by misfortune. He missed the eliminations for the Molson Canadian Pace at Western Fair Raceway in Ontario on May 26 after being caught in a traffic jam. On Saturday, on a sloppy track in the open at Woodbine, he went off stride behind the gate and those who bet on the horse received refunds.

“The track was horrible the other night and he had a bit of a temper tantrum,” trainer Bob McIntosh said. “There should have been a recall. When he turned for the gate he didn’t get off on the right foot. They had to refund him because he never reached a fair start. I’m going to qualify him on Tuesday at Mohawk at then go to the Battle. Hopefully, he can get it going again. The horse is fine, it’s just his luck hasn’t been good. I don’t even want to think about it, I just want to get on.”

For the year, Ponder has won three of five starts and $146,050; lifetime, the horse has won 14 times and earned $989,798. In the 2005 Battle of Lake Erie, Ponder started from post eight and was last for much of the mile before closing with a rush and losing by a quarter-length to Maltese Artist.

“If he’s on his game and everything goes right, he should fit in good in the Battle,” McIntosh said. “Last year, he came from way back and just ran out of racetrack.”

Below is the expected field in alphabetical order for Saturday’s $125,000 Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park in Ohio. Listed drivers and trainers are from most recent races. The post position draw for the Battle of Lake Erie is Wednesday during Northfield’s live race card, and once again fans will be chosen to pick the post positions for the eight starters.