by Ellen Harvey, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — Chapter Seven, the 8-5 morning line favorite in the $610,000 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male trotters on Saturday (Oct. 29) at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, is writing a new chapter in his story. After traffic problems en route to a fourth-place finish in the August 6 Hambletonian, he’s put together back-to-back stakes wins, one in a new lifetime mark of 1:52.4.

“After the Hambletonian, he was sick again,” trainer Linda Toscano said. “He’s been one of those horses that’ll drive a person crazy. After the Hambletonian, I thought it was real important that he not start right back in the Colonial and he was actually very good in Canada the last time he was up there (fifth in the Canadian Trotting Classic on Sept. 17). Unfortunately, he was the victim of the post position gods (post nine in the final). It was just one of those deals where he couldn’t have been in a worse spot.

“I have to give credit to the owners (Richard Gutnick, Gary Cocco, Southwind Farm and Jerry Silva) because they wanted to supplement him to the (Kentucky) Futurity and I just thought that it might fry him. He struggled this year with his strength because he was sick earlier. I know how it is down there (at The Red Mile). There’s no greater race to win, but at the same time if you happen to get a hot day and with it being such a wide open group of horses this year, I was so afraid it could go three heats.

“They supported me on that and we were able to just take him down there and race him in the Bluegrass (on Oct. 9, a 4-1/4 length win in a career best 1:52.4). I think it was exactly what he needed.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Chapter Seven trotted to a lifetime best 1:52.4 score in his Bluegrass division at The Red Mile.

“We qualified him (at the Red Mile on Sept. 30), he felt real good about himself in the qualifier. We raced him in the Bluegrass, he was really good that day and he seems to have carried his form up to Canada.

“I never worry about him on the racetrack because he kind of takes the track with him. It didn’t matter if we were at Freehold or Dover or whatever. He’s never one that I had to worry about shoeing; he’s just been good that way. It’s always just been about his health and right now, knock on wood, he’s pretty much as good as he’s been going into this race.

“He was never prone to anything (sickness) last year, only this year when he had a bout with viral pneumonia and he was lucky to have made it to the Hambletonian. We were playing catch up. We thought if he makes it (to the Hambletonian) fine, if not that’s OK, too. We just wanted to let the horse come into himself and I think he’s finally at a point where the situation is reversed. Now I have the tight, fresh horse. We’ll see how it goes.”

Chapter Seven has post position four on Saturday and driver Tim Tetrick, who’s driven him in his two most recent stakes wins. Toscano thinks he just needs to stay forwardly placed to do well.

“As long as he’s within striking distance turning for home, he can make his own trip,” she said. “I’m not afraid if he’s on the lead, or first up, or following cover, he’ll finish good. That’s always been his greatest attribute; he doesn’t know the end of a mile and he always finishes strong. So many times this year, he’s been too far out of it. He can trot the fastest last quarter of the race, but he’s just been the victim of some bad racing luck.”