by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Seaford, DE — With lifetime earnings of more than $100,000 and a record of 1:51.2f last year, 5-year-old pacer Star Messenger looked like a good claim to trainer Gary Ewing.

That is, until he brought the horse home and hooked him to a jog cart.

“I thought I’d made a bad claim,” said Ewing, who has a small stable in Easton, Md. “All he would do was run around the track.”

Ewing, who generally keeps a stable of four or five Standardbreds, was looking for a new horse toward the end of 2016. After watching Star Messenger, then trained by Jim King Jr., win a $20,000 claimer for horses under the age of five on Nov. 28 at Dover Downs, he decided that was the one he wanted. The gelding had left from post eight to cut the mile, winning easily in 1:52.

“He was racing real good and I just liked him,” Ewing said.

While $20,000 wasn’t a particularly cheap price tag, Ewing says he doesn’t mind the cost if he’s confident what he’s getting is worth it. After three decades of breeding his own racehorses, he’s come to the conclusion that it’s faster and easier to play the claiming game.

“I’d spend $20,000 in a minute,” he said. “It just depends what they look like.”

And so when Star Messenger was entered in the same $20,000 claiming race Dec. 5, Ewing went to Dover and officially entered a claim. The pacer left from post six to cut the mile again, tiring slightly in the stretch to finish third in 1:52.1.

Ewing was pleased with the performance, however, and eagerly brought his new horse home.

It was a couple days later when he first sat behind the pacer he started to question his decision.

“He wouldn’t pace at all,” Ewing said.

He was quickly reassured, however, after a conversation with the horse’s former trainer.

“Jim King told me he jogs like that all the time,” Ewing said. “So I just kept jogging him.”

He entered Star Messenger back in the $20,000 claimer the following week, putting Tony Morgan down to drive. Morgan pulled the gelding first over and he finished the mile fifth, pacing in 1:52.3. Ewing was encouraged by the fact that Morgan was impressed with the horse.

“Tony Morgan said he’s a pretty nice horse,” he said.

Morgan pulled Star Messenger first over again the following week. He got within a length of the race leader but was outperformed in the stretch, again finishing fifth. Ewing was just pleased his new charge was bringing home checks.

An official year older on Jan. 1, Star Messenger was forced to move from the $20,000 claimer for young horses to the basic $20,000 event in his next start. Apparently he wasn’t intimidated by the more seasoned competition, as he earned his first win for Ewing on a snowy Jan. 5.

Leaving from the rail, Star Messenger settled in third as race favorite Montana Pablo A led the field to the half-mile mark in :55.1. Morgan then pulled the right line and Star Messenger flew to the front, quickly going by Montana Pablo A to take the lead. He won the race by more than five lengths in 1:50.2, a new lifetime mark.

He followed that up with a victory against conditioned pacers in a race for non-winners of $17,001 last six starts. Star Messenger made his regular first-over move to take the lead just past the three-quarter pole, crossing the wire first in 1:51.1.

He missed his first check for Ewing this past week after facing stiff competition in the Open pace at Dover.

“He’s been first over every week,” Ewing said, adding that the horse would drop back down in class soon enough.

Ewing says the pacer couldn’t be any easier to care for, as all he requires is regular jogging and turnout between starts. He’s looking forward to seeing what the gelding can do the rest of the Dover meet.

“He’s a real nice horse,” Ewing said. “He’s nice to be around and was well worth the money.”