by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Berlin, MD — One day in the fall of 2008, a friend called Walt Benton to tell him the disturbing story of a horse that had jumped a fence that morning and run across the north and south lanes of Delaware’s Route 1, a highway on which cars routinely travel close to 80 mph.

It took just a moment for Benton’s mind to register the fact that the yearling filly he’d purchased just eight days earlier was stabled not too far from Route 1.

“I called my trainer to check on her and he said ‘yep, that was your filly,’” Benton recalls.

Classical Ballet has won twice in her first year of racing, with earnings of $10,225.

The filly, Classical Ballet, purchased by Benton at the New Jersey Classic yearling sale, was caught — albeit on the opposite side of the highway — and suffered no ill effects from her adventure. A trainer’s attempt to break her a few days later, however, yielded four broken fences and a few tired farmhands, as the daughter of Classic Photo-Regal Winner got loose yet again.

Soon after, proving to be a handful for everyone who worked with her, Classical Ballet was turned out until the summer of 2009, when a mutual acquaintance put Benton in touch with Maryland trainer William Long and his father-in-law, Dale Massey. Known for their success with young trotters, the duo agreed to train the as yet unbroken filly.

Classical Ballet arrived at their farm with the braid from the yearling sale still in her hair.

“She was mad at everybody,” said Long’s wife Sharon.

After letting her spend a few days in her stall settling in, Massey got to work on the filly. While he admits she was tough in the stall, once he got her jogging Massey said he never had any trouble with the filly.

Benton and his family stopped by one day to see the filly not long after she’d been there.

“He’d just got off the track with her and he was spraying her off with the hose,” Benton said. “The last time I’d seen her she was rearing up.”

Sharon Long credits her father’s patience in turning the filly around. Benton knew his filly was finally in the right place.

“It was a perfect fit,” he said. “They’re the kindest, gentlest people.”

Massey said the filly trained down easily that summer and fall and eventually made it down to 2:09. While not fast enough to race, Massey said she had shown some trot and was given a few months off.

Benton said at that point he thought about selling what had proved to be a difficult purchase but on the advice of William Long decided to give the filly a little longer.

It was a decision he did not regret, as in June 2010 Classical Ballet easily won a qualifier at Harrington Raceway in 2:04.4, officially making it to the races. The filly rode the rail with Long in the bike to finish second in 2:03.3 her very first start, thrilling her connections.

“Since then she’s been getting better every week,” Benton said.

photos courtesy of Debbie Benton

Classical Ballet poses for the camera along with Walt, Brooke and Colton Benton.

From 10 starts this year, Classical Ballet — or Tippy Toes as she’s called by Benton’s children — has a record of 2-2-1, with earnings of $10,225. Season highlights include her 2:03.1 maiden win on Sept. 29, followed by a 1:58.1 victory Nov. 11 in her first start at Dover Downs.

“It’s been great,” Benton said. “She’s still a little green but she responds every week.”

According to her connections, in spite of her strong personality off the track the trotter is perfect once she’s hooked to a race bike. To keep the filly from being overwhelmed, Long typically races the still-young Classical Ballet just every other week.

Her connections are optimistic that she will continue to improve. Whether she does or not, Classical Ballet has a designated cheering section when she goes to the track — while Benton, who works at the Sussex County Correctional Institute, often watches via computer, his wife and kids haven’t missed a race.

In spite of the rocky start, Benton — who claimed his first horse in 2005 after getting hooked on harness racing watching the action at Dover Downs — does not regret his decision to change tactics and invest in a yearling.

“I’m just going to enjoy it,” Benton said. “I want to see where this young one takes me. It started out with me pulling my hair out right and left and now it‘s everything I was hoping it would be.”