by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — He’s not flashy and certainly doesn’t draw attention to himself as he goes about his work, but 5-year-old pacing gelding Gallant Yankee still manages to do very well at his job.

“He’s just a very plain Standardbred racehorse,” explained Mark Ford, his conditioner. “You would never take a second look at him other than on the racetrack and then off he goes. He’s nothing out of the ordinary and is very blue collar. He’s also very easy to take care of during the week and not hard to deal with at all.

“There are a lot of horses that are high maintenance and you have to do a lot of vet work on them,” he continued. “This one just gets on the truck and goes to the races. You never hear from him and he never causes any trouble. It’s a pleasure to be around horses like him and you don’t usually appreciate them until they are gone. We wish we had a 100 more just like him.”

Gallant Yankee is one of five horses that Ford entered in the opening round of the six-week-long George Morton Levy Memorial Pacing Series, which begins with six divisions, each going for $50,000, on Saturday night (March 26) at Yonkers Raceway. The $495,000 final is scheduled for April 30. Ford also sends River Shark, Handsome Harry, Keystone Rideau, and Lahaye into the series.

Mike Lizzi photo

Gallant Yankee has won a trio of open handicaps in 2011 at Yonkers.

Ford purchased Gallant Yankee, a son of Western Hanover-Give Me Life, for James Snyder of Wooster, Ohio, from Todd Schadel around the first of December last year. The gelding has earned $305,330 from 66 career miles and possesses a lifetime mark of 1:50.3f.

At two, Gallant Yankee captured a $21,077 Arden Downs division and finished third in the $150,000 Pennsylvania Sire Stakes Final. As a sophomore, the gelding was third in the $300,140 Max Hempt Final and throughout his career has been a consistent performer in non-winners and open handicap contests. This year he has started nine times with a record of 6-2-1 and has collected more than $90,000 in purse money.

“I do a lot of business with Todd Schadel and Roger Hammer,” Ford said. “We looked at him all last year and finally got together right after the Harrisburg Sale for us to buy him. We were looking for a horse to race at Yonkers over the winter and he had a nice break, then was freshened up for the winter. He’s been very good.”

His connections are not exactly sure how much ability Gallant Yankee will show when he jumps up in class.

“He’s been a very, very pleasant surprise, but I’m hesitant to say he’s a real open pacer,” Ford said. “Everyone has been resting and getting ready for the Levy this weekend. The horses that he has beaten have not been of the superior quality of the horse he will be facing in the next couple weeks so we will see.

“He’s in for the Levy on Saturday (March 26) in the ninth race. He’s been very good, but he still has a ways to go.”

If the gelding isn’t able to keep up with the top older pacers, Ford still has a plan for the rest of Gallant Yankee’s season.

“We are just going to play it by ear,” he said. “There’s plenty out there for a horse like him. As far as staking, I don’t know if he is of that caliber or not, but we are stabled 50 miles from Yonkers and we are racing for arguably $35,000 to $50,000 a week in an eight horse field. It sounds great to race for a lot of money, but first you have to get it.

“At the end of the day if you just have a nice, solid racehorse you can race at Yonkers on Saturday nights that would be ideal,” Ford continued. “I hope he’s good enough for that and he lasts long enough to be put in that position. It’s not how much you go for but the balance sheet at the end of the year. I think he’s a nice Yonkers racehorse and I’ll be tickled if it turns out that way. If he’s not, he’s been a pleasant surprise anyway and we are very happy with him.”