by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Seaford, DE — Aside from the natural anticipation that comes with waiting for a foal to be born, late the last night of June 2014 Erika Paradee just had a feeling the time had come for her broodmare Chocolate N Roses.

By the light of the moon, she headed out to the field where her mares were turned out. She arrived just in time to see a little bay colt stand up beside Chocolate N Roses. Promptly to be kicked and knocked to the ground by Paradee’s other mare.

“He went down hard and it scared the crap out of him,” Paradee said, “but he got right back up, shook it off and started nursing. That’s when I knew he was going to be a good one.”

Photo courtesy of Crissy Crissman-Bier

Moonshine Lavec has banked $28,575 in six career starts.

On Monday, the now 2-year-old Moonshine Lavec, who Paradee owns with Francisca Munoz and Crissy Crissman-Bier, goes to post with morning line odds of 9-2 in the $100,000 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund final for freshman trotting colts.

In addition to her initial appreciation of his ability to get back on his feet (literally) in the face of adversity, Paradee says Moonshine Lavec has done nothing but impress her since he was born.

“He’s the perfect gentleman,” she said. “I’m sure he gets that from his mother.”

She would know.

Paradee bred and trained Chocolate N Roses (CR Commando-Confederate Rose), who earned more than $244,000 in just four seasons on the track. When the trotter started to show signs of soreness, diagnosed as the early stages of navicular, Paradee and fellow owner Bret Brittingham opted to retire her. After a bit of research, Paradee decided to breed Chocolate N Roses to Master Lavec.

“He was very successful when he stood in Ohio,” she said. “It looked like a good cross for her.”

And so in June 2014 Moonshine Lavec was born at Paradee’s Marydel, Del., farm just as his mother had been. It wasn’t long before Paradee began to admire his temperament. When he was two months old, Chocolate N Roses kicked through the metal on a run-in shed, severing the tendon on her right hind leg. After hundreds of stitches to close the wound, the vet advised Paradee to confine the mare and foal to a stall for the next 45 days. Paradee says both mother and son handled the confinement well and had the sense to tolerate being separated for a few minutes each day as the mare’s bandage was changed.

“She’s made a full recovery,” Paradee said. “She was gimping around for six months though.”

The rest of Moonshine Lavec’s first year passed without incident. When it came time for him to begin training, Paradee, who runs a small operation essentially by herself, opted to send the colt away to be broke. He spent two months with trainer Joe Hundertpfund before returning to her farm.

“When it was time to start training down I was in the same dilemma,” Paradee said.

It was then she moved the colt to Sean Bier’s barn.

“Sean was instrumental in getting him to the point where he was ready to race,” Paradee said.

Bier has since become the colt’s regular reinsman.

The trotter trained down well, able to go 31-second quarters at the farm track. After an initial qualifying effort of 2:09.4 in August, he trotted another mile in 2:06.2 before beginning his first round of stakes races at Harrington Raceway. Moonshine Lavec proved competitive, earning two fourth-place checks and finishing second in the $20,000 consolation race.

While she was happy with him, Paradee said the stakes came just after he’d been sick and he wasn’t performing at his best.

“He was never 100 percent at Harrington,” she said.

He started the Dover season reinvigorated after a month in the field. He won his first start at the five-eighths-mile oval by an impressive 10-1/4 lengths on Nov. 7, taking a mark of 2:01.3.

Fotowon photo

Moonshine Lavec won twice in the DSBF preliminary legs at Dover Downs.

“He did it so easy,” Paradee said. “I knew he had it in him.”

He followed his first win with a second one this week. On Monday (Nov. 14) Bier steered him straight to the front, hitting fractions of :28.2, :59.2, and 1:29.3 before crossing the wire in 2:00.3. Paradee says this race was even more remarkable than the 10-1/4 length victory.

“He had a horse come first up and he shook that off,” she said, “and another came at him at the three-quarter pole and he fought that one off. He proved he was game. He’s not intimidated by competition. I knew he had to be tired but he dug deep and kept going.”

Paradee believes Moonshine Lavec gets the desire from his dam.

“He reminds me a lot of his mother as far as how gutsy he is,” she said. “It’s like déjà vu.”

And while drawing the eight hole in Monday’s final isn’t ideal, Paradee knows her colt is one of the most talented in the field.

“The ability is definitely there,” she said.

$100,000 DSBF Final
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer-Line
1. Crosby-George Dennis-Linda MacDonald-6/1
2. King In Command-Jim Morand-Syl King Jr.-15/1
3. Kirby In Command-Allan Davis-Josh Green-8/1
4. Yagot A Winner-Carlo Poliseno-Carlo Poliseno-10/1
5. Command The Fire-Corey Callahan-Jeff Fout-6/1
6. Master Clave-Ross Wolfenden-John Wilkerson-5/2
7. Jiggs-Victor Kirby-Leigh Raymer-3/1
8. Moonshine Lavec-Sean Bier-Erika Paradee-9/2