by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — The calendar reads “September,” but it might as well say “Foiled Again.”

Foiled Again snapped a 13-race winless streak on Sept. 8 when he captured his elimination for Monday’s $220,000 Bobby Quillen Memorial final for older pacers at Harrington Raceway, continuing his long trend of turning the fall season into his winning season.

A 10-year-old gelding, Foiled Again since 2007 has won 33 of 57 starts during the months from September through the end of the year. During that span, he has finished worse than third only twice.

Fotowon photo

Foiled Again was a 1:51.3 winner in his Quillen elimination for driver Yannick Gingras.

For his career, Foiled Again has won 81 of 216 races and earned a North American-record $6.51 million in purses. He has won only 11 of 60 starts during the months of June, July and August.

“It’s like clockwork,” driver Yannick Gingras said. “It’s been the same thing the last few years, tail off a little bit in the summer — not quite as dominant — and then September comes. It’s a pretty amazing stat. It’s crazy.”

Foiled Again, who has received the Dan Patch Award for the sport’s best older male pacer each of the last three seasons, will be appearing in the Quillen final for the sixth consecutive year. He won the race in 2010 and 2011 and has finished second in his three other appearances. His total margin of defeat in his three Quillen setbacks is less than one length.

Last Monday, Foiled Again won his Quillen elimination by 2-1/4 lengths over Easy Again in 1:51.3. Clear Vision, who won last year’s Quillen by a head over Foiled Again, captured his elim by 2-1/4 lengths in 1:49.3.

Foiled Again will start the final from post No. 1 while Clear Vision leaves from post five. Both horses are trained by Ron Burke, who has a total of five horses in the final. Foiled Again is the 2-1 morning line favorite.

“There are a lot of great horses in there,” Gingras said. “It’s going to be a horserace, but I drew the rail and we’re going to use it.”

Foiled Again has won five of 18 races this year and hit the board a total of 14 times, earning $481,638. He entered the Quillen elims off a second-place finish in the Canadian Pacing Derby. He had third-place finishes in the Ben Franklin Pace, Battle of Lake Erie and Joe Gerrity Jr. Memorial during the summer.

“I never lost faith in him,” Gingras said. “He’ll tell us when it’s time (to retire), but it’s not anywhere near that time right now. He’s just as good right now as he’s been his whole entire career. It’s pretty scary.

“I knew that he was racing good in the summer and I was waiting for the other ones to come back to him a little bit. I know in the fall he’ll be there like he always has. He’s really sharp and it’s his time of year.”

Following is the Quillen field in post order with drivers, trainers, and morning line: 1. Foiled Again, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke, 2-1; 2. Easy Again, Ron Pierce, Ron Burke, 10-1; 3. Doctor Butch, Tony Morgan, Linda Toscano, 12-1; 4. Heston Blue Chip, Tim Tetrick, Linda Toscano, 5-1; 5. Clear Vision, Brett Miller, Ron Burke, 5-2; 6. Tarpon Hanover, Marcus Miller, Nick Surick, 6-1; 7. Bettor’s Edge, Matt Kakaley, Ron Burke, 4-1; 8. Aracache Hanover, Ross Wolfenden, Ron Burke, 8-1.