by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — After racing exclusively in New York State-bred contests for the first 10 starts of his career, Archangel’s connections decided to take him to the Breeders Crown to see what exactly they had in their barn and after a second to eventual victor Uncle Peter in an elimination and a sixth-place finish in the $600,000 final, they became convinced a piece of equipment that was aiding his performance was actually holding him back.

“We had a bad winter last year so we didn’t get him out training too much but we knew he had a lot of potential,” explained Peter Arrigenna, the colt’s co-owner and conditioner. “He was very green so we took him slow and easy and brought him around in the sire stakes. They were his training miles to get him ready to see how he fared in the Breeders Crown against the big boys, so we would know what way to go with him as a 3-year-old. He did well in the elimination then when we went to move him in the stretch of the final, he kind of got tangled up in his trotting hobbles and I think if that wouldn’t have happened, he would have picked up a check.

“We started him back this year without them,” he continued. “He needed them to a certain extent to get him away from the gate, but he hasn’t needed them this year. He’s been trotting his last quarters in :27 without them and I knew if I could get him away from them he would be better gaited. He reaches out now and before he would try to climb in them a little bit.”

The son of Credit Winner and the first foal from the Andover Hall mare Michelle’s Angel 3,1:54s ($436,921) was purchased by Arrigenna, Alan Hainsworth and Clare Semer at the 2010 Standardbred Horse Sale for $120,000. To date he has earned $172,676 from his 17 race career, with a record of 6-7-1.

Fotowon photo

Archangel set a track record for a 3-year-old trotting colt in winning his Empire Breeders Classic elimination at Vernon Downs.

From four races this year Archangel has three victories and one second, banked $37,483 and lowered champion Deweycheatumnhowe’s 2008 track record of 1:54 at Vernon Downs to 1:53.4 last Friday evening in his $12,500 Empire Breeders Classic elimination, which is now his lifetime mark.

On this Friday (June 8), he will leave from post three in the $233,250 final and his morning line odds are listed at 5-2.

“We first saw him in the Black Book and Alan went over to see him when he was in Lexington as he was bred by Diamond Creek Farm,” Arrigenna said. “He liked him down in the paddock running around, so we decided to try and buy him if we could. We ended up lucky enough to be the highest bidder and then we brought him home. He’s a well-bred horse and very athletic.

“He is also a very nice horse and very intelligent,” he continued. “He has colt things he does when he monkeys around, but he’s pretty well-mannered, and knows it’s raceday when you head to the trailer. He’s all business.”

Arrigenna really feels removing the hobbles and the colt’s development will allow him to reach his true potential this coming season.

“He is just so much better gaited and got tangled up in those coming down the stretch in those (1):55, (1):56 miles,” the Piffard, New York, resident said. “He still looks around at things, but when you get behind the gate, he knows it’s time to race.

“Everybody who has hopped on and driven him has liked him,” he continued. “Jason Bartlett drove him at Yonkers and he said he had a lot of potential. Timmy Tetrick drove him and said the same thing and he was just really green and needed to mature more. This year he’s paying attention to what he’s doing and doing a good job.”

After he contests the Empire Breeders Classic this weekend, Archangel’s next big engagement is the Yonkers Trot.

“We have the option to go to Buffalo Raceway on a Sunday in the middle of June for the sire stakes if we want to prep him on a half-mile track like Yonkers is,” Arrigenna said. “Then if everything goes well, we have the Tompkins-Geers at Tioga to prep him for the Hambletonian. Tioga is only a couple of hours from home and I think the Dancer Memorial is that same weekend, but Tioga is less stress shipping and then it’s the Hambletonian.

“He’s also eligible for the Colonial, the Zweig, the Canadian Classic and the Kentucky Futurity,” he continued. “It will be my first time heading to Kentucky, but we will just take it all week by week. We have all the Grand Circuit races and the sire stakes. Our plans are hopefully to stay racing within the Grand Circuit, but the main thing is he remains healthy and sound.”

Arrigenna is quite pleased with the current status quo.

“I think he can trot with (the best) of them,” he explained. “I’ve been watching some of them that have been going in (1):52 and (1):53. Magic Tonight did a (1):52 mile at the Meadows last week which was big and then Little Brown Fox went in I think (1):53 at the Meadowlands the other night in the New Jersey Sire Stakes Final. He is trotting where they are I think. I’m very happy with where he is right now and hopefully he’ll get a little better. Each week after he races he’s been coming back a little better and a little tighter. Everything has been going according to plan.”