Hightstown, NJ – A couple of Down Under pickups have gotten off to strong starts for trainer Jeff Cullipher as he looks to determine their paths for the year ahead.

Big Wheels A in action at Albion Park in 2022. Dan Costello photo.

Big Wheels A was purchased from Australia by Cullipher and Pollack Racing in September. The 6-year-old pacer finished second in his first two races in North America before winning his third, the Open 3 at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, on Dec. 8. He will make his fourth start in Thursday’s $25,000 Open Handicap at Hollywood Dayton Raceway.

Spring Inhis Step A arrived a month earlier and has won four of eight races, including the Dedi’s Dragon Invitational at Hoosier Park, where he defeated Hellabalou by a head on Nov. 3. The 6-year-old pacer also won an Open 1-2 at Hoosier Park on Dec. 1.

“They’re just getting started, so we’re trying not to overdo it with either of them,” Cullipher said. “I’m going to enter one, I don’t know which one yet, at The Meadows next week and one at Dayton again. We’ll try to keep them separated until we probably send one out east to my barn there.”

Big Wheels A is a son of A Rocknroll Dance-Washington Lass. The gelding won 19 of 54 races Down Under, hit the board an additional 18 times, and earned $219,951. In September 2022, Big Wheel A’s full brother Blacksadance became the first pacer to break the 1:50 barrier at Albion Park, stopping the timer in 1:49.2.

Since arriving in the U.S., Big Wheels A has flashed speed as well. In his first race, he paced his last quarter in :25.2 at Hoosier Park. In his next outing, also at Hoosier, he came home in :26.3 on a sloppy track.

“He has a lot of high speed, but we’re kind of teaching him because he’s very green acting so far,” Cullipher said. “The first couple starts we took him to the rear of the field and raced him the last quarter. His last start we wanted to put him more up in the race and test him a little bit.

“I think there is so much upside with him. He’s already showed the ability he has. The speed is there, but it seems like he’s still trying to figure it all out.”

Big Wheels A will start Thursday from post one with driver Atlee Bender and is 8-1 on the morning line.

“We’ll see how he gets around the smaller track,” Cullipher said, referring to Dayton’s five-eighths-mile oval compared to Hoosier’s seven-eighths, “but I think it’s going to work out just fine.”

Spring Inhis Step A winning the Group 2 $50,000 The Breakthrough Final at Melton in 2022. Stuart McCormick photo.

Spring Inhis Step A is a son of Somebeachsomewhere-Summa Of Dreams. He won nine of 39 races Down Under, including Group 2 and Group 3 events, and earned $114,117. He has added $46,490 to his bankroll since arriving Stateside.

“He’s kind of stepped up, and maybe overachieved at the moment,” Cullipher said. “He’s got some real speed to him, too; he can come off a helmet pretty quick. He seems more seasoned than (Big Wheels A). He just seems like a good horse.”

Cullipher enjoys have Down Under newcomers in his stable.

“We get a good handful every year and we’ve had some luck with it,” Cullipher said. “We’ve got a broker Down Under that finds us horses and we just pick the ones that we think will work. Tom Pollack, more than myself, kind of chooses which ones to jump on. It’s fun to have them come from another country and start with them and see what you’ve got.”

Racing begins at 4 p.m. (EST) at Dayton. For free programs, visit the track’s website here.