by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

East Rutherford, NJ — Mister Big could make history in Saturday’s $600,000 William R. Haughton Memorial final at the Meadowlands, but it won’t be easy.

Never in the 31-year history of the Haughton has a horse won the event in consecutive years. Mister Big is looking for his second straight title after winning last season’s race at odds of 16-1 from the unfavorable 10 post. On Saturday, he will start from post two for driver Brian Sears, trainer Virgil Morgan, Jr., and owner Joe Muscara.

Lisa photo

Mister Big was a three-quarter length winner over Artistic Fella in their Haughton elimination last Saturday.

Mister Big and Mr Feelgood won last weekend’s elimination races for the final, which gave their connections the honor of selecting their posts.

“We’re much more pleased with the post this year,” Morgan said. “He was coming off a three-week layoff and we were happy with the way he raced. We’re just trying to get him to peak at the right time.”

In his Haughton elim, Mister Big led the entire mile and held off the challenge of Artistic Fella to win in 1:48.1. In his previous start, on June 15, Mister Big was second to Artistic Fella in the $500,000 Ben Franklin Pace at Harrah’s Chester. Artistic Fella’s time of 1:48 in the Franklin was the fastest in harness racing history on a five-eighths-mile track.

Mister Big has won 21 of 59 career races and earned just shy of $1.9 million. His victory in last year’s Haughton helped propel him to the Dan Patch Award as the best older male pacer in 2007.

“He was good all year long, but the Haughton put him more in the national spotlight,” Morgan said. “To win this race again would be an honor. It would be something great for the horse.”

A win could also help Mister Big move toward a second Dan Patch Award. Only Red Bow Tie (1998-99) has won back-to-back awards in the division since Rambling Willie captured three in a row in the mid-1970s.

“We’ve got a lot of work to do before we even think about that,” Morgan said. “There’s a lot of wood to chop yet to get that.”

Joining Mister Big, Artistic Fella and Mr Feelgood in the Haughton final are Mypanmar, Silent Swing, Palone Ranger, Special Report, Won The West, Eagle Luck, and Western Shore.

“I think any of those horses can step up on any given day,” Morgan said. “They’ve all done something great in their careers at one time or another. On any race day, any of them can win.”