by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Fran Anna was unable to produce many victories on the racetrack because of injuries, but she has produced a solid group of winners for Ohio-based owners Jerry Zosel and Kathy Ratcliff during her years as a broodmare.

The first was Igottafeelinfran — named with a nod to the Black Eyed Peas’ hit song — who won Ohio Sire Stakes championships at ages 3, 4 and 5 and just last Friday picked up career victory No. 26, pushing her lifetime earnings to $473,515. Next was four-time winner Gottatigerinmytank, followed by Gotmoneyinmypocket.

On Saturday night, Gotmoneyinmypocket aims to capture the $35,000 James K. Hackett Memorial for Ohio-sired 3-year-old male pacers at Miami Valley Raceway. A gelding, Gotmoneyinmypocket will start from post eight with Kayne Kauffman driving for trainer Jim “Bill” Dailey.

“Fran Anna is a nice mare,” Ratcliff said. “She would have made a good racehorse but she got hurt. We were real disappointed, but she’s had some nice babies for us. She’s got a lot of personality and every one of her babies has been kind of unique in their own way. They love people, but they’re ornery too.”

Zosel and Ratcliff purchased Fran Anna for $7,000 at the 2006 Ohio Selected Jug Sale. She won two of three races before seeing her career come to an end. But as one chapter closed, another began.

Conrad photo

Gotmoneyinmypocket was a 1:52.2 winner in his James K. Hackett Memorial elimination last weekend at Miami Valley.

Gotmoneyinmypocket, a son of stallion Feelin Friskie and a full brother to Igottafeelinfran, won two of nine starts last year, hit the board a total of eight times, and earned $62,598. His second victory came in a division of the Ohio Sire Stakes in a track-record 1:52.3 performance at Scioto Downs. He finished fifth-placed-seventh a week later in the OSS championship.

This season, Gotmoneyinmypocket is 2-for-2, including a 1:52.2 triumph in his Hackett elimination last weekend.

“I texted Bill after the race Saturday, and I just texted the word ‘wow.’ He texted me back and said he’s for real,” Ratcliff said.

“His nickname is ‘Frank the Tank,’ and if you were to see him you’d understand how he got that nickname,” she added. “He’s just a lot of horse and very strong.”

Ratcliff, a retired bookkeeper who used to work for Zosel’s construction parts-and-equipment company in Columbus and now oversees Big Barn Farm, has bred a number of horses with Zosel. Among their other successes have been the recently retired Don’t Know Chip, who won the 2011 Horse & Groom Series at the Meadowlands; Deep Chip, who was Ohio’s 2-year-old male trotter of the year in 2008, when he captured the Ohio Triple Crown; and Can’tcutthatchip, who has earned $217,992 to date.

“We’ve had some nice ones,” Ratcliff said. “We’ve been very lucky.”

Following the Hackett, Gotmoneyinmypocket is staked to the Ohio Sire Stakes, Ohio Breeders Championship, and the local fairs circuit as well as the Circle City in Indiana.

“He’s an awful nice horse,” Ratcliff said. “He tries. He and his sister, they just love to come from behind and chase horses. He hasn’t raced a lot, but he really puts his effort into it.”

Dailey will have a busy weekend with Hackett Memorial entrants. In addition to sending out Gotmoneyinmypocket, he also trains the Hackett’s other elimination victor, Winna Winna, who triumphed in 1:53.3. On Friday, he has 2-1 morning line favorite My Tweed Heart in the $35,000 Hackett Memorial for 3-year-old female pacers.