by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Richard Gutnick hopes Chapter Seven pays off.

Chapter Seven on Tuesday was one of 18 3-year-old trotters entered in the Hambletonian Stakes — harness racing’s top trotting prize — at Meadowlands Racetrack. Two $70,000 nine-horse elimination races will be contested Saturday, with the top five finishers from each division returning on August 6 for the $1.5 million nationally televised final.

“I’m excited and nervous,” said Gutnick, who is the CFO of a medical supply company in the Philadelphia suburbs and one of Chapter Seven’s owners. “I’ve been in the business for 28 years and this is the first time I’ve had one good enough. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience.”

Chapter Seven, trained by Linda Toscano and driven by four-time Hambletonian winner Mike Lachance, will start from post six in his elimination. The elim includes Blue Porsche, who won this year’s Goodtimes at Mohawk and last year’s Valley Victory.

The other elim features 2-year-old divisional champion Pastor Stephen and last year’s Breeders Crown winner Manofmanymissions.

Chapter Seven, in addition to Gutnick, is owned by Gary Cocco (his first horse), Southwind Farm and Jerry Silva.

Lisa photo

Chapter Seven stopped Big Rigs by a head in their Stanley Dancer Memorial division on July 16.

Last year, the colt won seven of eight races, including the Matron Stakes at Dover Downs and the New Jersey Sire Stakes fall championship at Freehold Raceway. He earned $211,549.

Slowed by pneumonia earlier this year, Chapter Seven has raced only once, winning a $166,000 division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial on July 16 at the Meadowlands. He won by a head over Big Rigs in 1:53.1.

“He’s a game horse,” Gutnick said. “He had every reason his first time out in the Dancer not to win. But the horse wants to win.

“Right now, he’s fine. We gave him the past week off. We went back and forth, but Linda’s gut instinct, and my gut instinct, was to give him the week off because he’s had to catch up. The week off, I think, did him wonders. I saw him Saturday and he looked much better than he even did for the Dancer. I’m looking very forward to the eliminations and hopefully to the final.”

After getting involved in racing as an owner in the mid-1980s, Gutnick got licenses to drive and train horses, and even picked up a training win at the Meadowlands, because he wanted to learn more about the sport.

“I know enough to be dangerous, so I give my input to the trainer,” Gutnick said. “But I know they’re working with the horse day in and day out, so the final decision is theirs.”

Chapter Seven’s ability to overcome obstacles is nothing new. A son of Windsong’s Legacy-La Riviera Lindy, he was purchased for $42,000 at the Standardbred Horse Sale (under the name Windsongs Proxy) and his family includes stakes-winner Sir Taurus.

His career got off to a tough start. First, he required stitches in an ankle after jumping a fence (“At least we know he’s athletic,” Toscano told Gutnick) and he later needed surgery to correct throat troubles. After paying the medical bills, Gutnick, a former bankruptcy trustee for the state of Delaware, told his wife he was going to rename the horse Chapter Seven. When she laughed heartily, he decided to use the name.

“This horse is amazing in how he overcomes everything,” Gutnick said. “I hope that means he’s a horse of destiny, but I guess only time will tell. I love having horses that only want to win. I believe he has as much talent as anybody out there.”

Following are the fields in post position order for Saturday’s Hambletonian eliminations, with listed drivers and trainers.

Elim One: 1. Whit, Tim Tetrick, Homer Hochstetler; 2. Big Sky Storm, Ron Pierce, Chris Marino; 3. Orlando, Cat Manzi, Don Swick; 4. Luckycharm Hanover, David Miller, Thomas Haughton; 5. Celebrity Bombay, Brian Sears, Staffan Lind; 6. Chapter Seven, Mike Lachance, Linda Toscano; 7. Fawkes, Yannick Gingras, Jonas Czernyson; 8. Broad Bahn, George Brennan, Noel Daley; 9. Blue Porsche, Trevor Ritchie, Blair Burgess. (Note that Chapter Seven and Blue Porsche will race as a coupled entry for betting purposes because of common ownership.)

Elim Two: 1. Whiskey Tax, Tim Tetrick, Thomas Durand; 2. Magnum Kosmos, Dave Palone, Tony Dinges; 3. Pastor Stephen, Ron Pierce, Jimmy Takter; 4. Big Rigs, Tetrick, Kelly O’Donnell; 5. Bambino Hall, Palone, Tyler Raymer; 6. Opening Night, Brian Sears, Jim Campbell; 7. Manofmanymissions, Andy Miller, Erv Miller; 8. Charlie De Vie, Tetrick, Chris Ryder; 9. Live Jazz, Tetrick, Chuck Sylvester.