by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Dover, DE — Better late than never, as they say.

New Jersey trainer Andrew Kovath is quick to point out that Tune Town, who he campaigned in the 1990s, didn’t make it to the track until the last week of his 3-year-old season and went on to earn nearly $1.1 million. He’s hoping 6-year-old Jazz Tune, a son of Tune Town and Artztartzzz (Artsplace), who is beginning just his second year of racing, is on the same track.

Kovath says that Tune Town’s offspring are proof that horses can be successful starting late.

“They’re diminutive,” he said. “They don’t mature very fast.”

The solution?

“Give them another year,” he says.

Fotowon photo

Jazz Tune lowered his mark to 1:52.2 on March 21 at Dover Downs.

While Jazz Tune was and still is relatively small, Kovath said the real reason he didn’t get broke until he turned three was because the trainer had no help. Once he did get harnessed, however, he offered owner, trainer and breeder Kovath little trouble. The trouble came when, at 5, the pacer was ready to enter his first race.

“The problem with breaking a horse late is they don’t have a lot of places to race,” he said. “You’re limited.”

Because Jazz Tune was already 5, he was too old to compete in the non-winners of one class, as at most tracks it is typically designated for horses age 4 and under.

“It kills a lot of earning power,” Kovath said.

Nevertheless, Jazz Tune was able to begin his pari-mutuel career at Freehold Raceway in April 2011, where he won his first race in 1:58.3 — against non-winners of two pacers. In just his second ever pari-mutuel start, Jazz Tune was forced to race against older pacers in the non-winners of $2,000 in their last six starts. After pacing in 1:57.3 and 1:56.3 against the older horses, finishing third and fourth, Kovath opted to ship a bit further to Monticello Raceway, where Jazz Tune could again race in the non-winners of two class.

After several wins there Kovath eventually brought the horse south to Harrington Raceway and then Dover Downs to take advantage of the extra 20 percent he was entitled to as a Delaware-bred Standardbred.

Jazz Tune went on to take a new lifetime mark of 1:54.2 at Dover Downs in November and ended his first season on the track with seven wins, two seconds and one third from 23 starts. He’s continued to be successful this year, winning a Delaware owned or bred conditioned pace in 1:52.2 at Dover.

As his Dover win would have pushed him up in class at the five-eighths-mile track, Kovath opted to return Jazz Tune to his home state. The pacer faced stiff competition in his first race at the Meadowlands, as the class he fit didn’t fill and he was moved to a race for non-winners of $12,750 in their last five starts. Despite pacing a mile in 1:52.2, Jazz Tune finished seventh.

“It kind of backfired on me,” Kovath said.

Nevertheless, he believes if the horse continues to pace 1:52 regularly he will be able to make some money this year.

“He’s got to pay me back,” Kovath joked.