by Rich Fisher, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — Illinois trainer Nick Giberson is on pace to set career highs for wins and purses this year, which has created a problem.

Well, if you can call it that.

“It’s getting tougher and tougher to top the year before,” Giberson said with a laugh. “Once you get there, you’ve got to stay there. You always try to set a little bit of a goal and then try to beat it.”

The 36-year-old, who has been training on his own since 2007, earned a career-best $649,883 last year, and had a plan to make things even better this season. Giberson’s stable has banked $643,452 this year and won 54 times, just two victories off his career high set in 2009. His .317 trainer’s rating is a lifetime best.

Ken Weingartner photo

Nick Giberson is closing in on career-best numbers in both wins and earnings.

“We just kind of concentrated on better horses this year,” he said. “The last couple years with the Illinois program, I’ve just always tried to stay with the stake horses and keep it around 20, 25 horses, and race overnights at Hoosier. I try to make a few better decisions on the horses we buy and keep. I don’t want to have just stall fillers.

“The biggest thing is classification and back here you’ve got to pick and choose. You just want to make money for your owners and win races. There’s still money to be made here in Illinois. We knew we had some good horses coming back, and we’ve had a real good year.”

Two of those horses are on display at Chicago’s Maywood Park on Friday. Odds On Rhodonite, a 2-year-old colt pacer, is in the $87,000 Abe Lincoln Stakes, while 3-year-old gelding pacer Silver Devil will compete in the $176,000 Windy City.

Odds On Rhodonite, who has won four of 10 races and $58,406 this season, showed his potential by winning a division of the Bluegrass Stakes at The Red Mile in September.

Nigel Soult photo

Odds On Rhodonite won a Bluegrass Stakes division at The Red Mile in September.

Owned by Mark Winship and Giberson’s wife, Amy, Odds On Rhodonite was bought off the Internet in the summer. The colt qualified once at the Meadowlands, winning in 1:54.3, before heading to Illinois.

“We got him bravened up,” Giberson said. “We threw him in at Chicago, raced him at Hoosier, and then threw him in the Bluegrass because he’d been one or two every start. We just wanted to kind of see what we had. We got lucky, he got a good second-over trip and won in 1:50.2.

“That’s why I always say with 2-year olds, you always need six to eight starts to see what they are. You can tell with a few, but a couple guys told me, and I’m all for it, that it’s easier racing them back in the Midwest. You can teach them how to be a horse.”

Odds On Rhodonite has not won his recent starts but still raced well and was struck by bad luck, according to the trainer. Corey Callahan, who guided the colt to his Bluegrass victory and a fifth-place finish in last week’s American-National Stakes at Balmoral, will be the driver on Friday. The horse prefers a trip off cover and particularly likes first ups, but can race either way if necessary.

“We really didn’t make many adjustments,” Giberson said. “We brought him back here and he got pretty brave. That’s one big key, classification. He got brave, learned how to be a horse. He was very brave in Lexington. We threw him in the Bluegrass to see what we’ve got, and it kind of helped us determine the stakes for next year.

“I’m sure he’ll get staked up pretty good. He’ll be staked pretty consistently and pretty heavy. That’s my thinking. The last couple starts he’s been real good. He gets around a half(-mile track) good.”

As for the Abe Lincoln Stakes, Giberson said, “I think he has a shot.”

“Corey coming in will help,” he added. “The colt’s good and healthy; he’s been resting good this week. He was sharp last week, he just couldn’t get through. There are seven horses in this one and he’s got the rail, which helps a ton on a half-mile track.”

Odds On Rhodonite is 9-2 on the morning line, behind even-money favorite Kingofthejungle and 2-1 Archetto Hanover.

Silver Devil is more of a longshot to win the Windy City, although the roan gelding has won 10 of 24 races and $65,034 this year. He is 20-1 on the morning line, with Casey Leonard in the sulky. Lucan Hanover, who was second to Captaintreacherous in last week’s American-National for 3-year-old male pacers, is the 3-5 morning line choice.

“He should have a lot more money, he’s done real well in eliminations but in the finals he got parked every step of the way and that’s tough on any horse,” Giberson said. “He went over to the Circle City and won a division there. He skimmed up the rail.

“He’s Illinois bred, he’s a nice colt but he’s in pretty tough on Friday. He can pace just as much on a half as on a mile, that’s his advantage. He can pace as much at Balmoral as Maywood. You just throw them in, hope for a good draw and a good trip. He’s in the four hole and there’s only seven, so that’s not bad. You just throw him in and pray. We’re just trying to get a nice check.”