by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Before this year, Marsha Cohen’s biggest thrills in harness racing were simply seeing her horses, many of them homebred, make it to the races and, if lucky, reach the winner’s circle.

Needless to say, her experience as one of the owners of Trotting Triple Crown winner Glidemaster has taken her to a new level.

Ken Weingartner photo

Marsha Cohen was all smiles after Glidemaster’s victory in the Yonkers Trot.

“I don’t think I can put it into words. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” Cohen said Saturday night after Glidemaster completed the Triple Crown sweep with a victory in the Yonkers Trot at Yonkers Raceway.

“With homebreds, just getting to the winner’s circle and doing well was always a thrill. This was more stress inducing. But it’s a good ride. It’s been fun.”

Cohen has been partners with Glidemaster’s trainer, Blair Burgess, for approximately eight years. She got to know Burgess through her husband, veterinarian Bob Fox.

After Glidemaster won the first two jewels in the Triple Crown, the Hambletonian and Kentucky Futurity, there remained some question whether he would race in the Yonkers Trot. First, he had never competed on a half-mile track, and Yonkers is a half-mile oval. Second, the connections would have to supplement Glidemaster for $60,000 because he wasn’t originally staked to the event.

“I was more on the side of not racing him at Yonkers and racing him next year in Europe,” Cohen said. “But, as it turns out, it was the right thing to do. Blair makes all the decisions and he hasn’t made a bad one yet.

“We didn’t really want to stop with him. He’s one of the soundest horses I’ve ever been around and he still seemed fresh and wanting to race. I guess this was a logical thing to do. Blair trained him around a half-mile (two weeks ago at Flamboro Downs in Ontario), so we knew he could get around the track. But the trip makes such a big difference, so that was a big factor. You always worry about the little details.”

Glidemaster, driven by George Brennan, was third through the first half of the race behind leader Algiers Hall. He moved to the outside at the half-mile point and engaged in essentially a match race with Algiers Hall over the final quarter mile, pulling away to win by nearly two lengths at the wire.

“I knew he had to come out when he did,” Cohen said. “Once he got to the last turn it seemed like he was comfortable and I thought he would get it from there. It was sort of like the Hambletonian; when he came off that last turn I knew he had it.”

In addition to Cohen, the 3-year-old colt is owned by Burgess’ wife, Karin, and his father, Bob, along with Brittany Farms. The victory gave Bob Burgess his first stakes triumph at Yonkers in two decades.

“We don’t usually pay supplements, but we thought the horse was entitled to it,” Bob Burgess said. “We were taking a chance because he’s a very large horse for a half-mile track. He’s very clean gaited, we weren’t worried about interfering, but he gets his speed up and then you come to a turn. George drove him very well and it worked out the way we expected.”

Glidemaster, a son of Yankee Glide, was a $10,000 yearling purchase at Tattersalls in 2004. He was the first foal out of Cressida Hanover and has won 11 of 20 career starts and finished worse than second only once. He has earned $1.9 million.

“This ranks right up there,” Bob Burgess said. “We won the Hambletonian two of the last four, and we expected to win both those races; I wasn’t sure about tonight. Blair does a fabulous job, obviously. The horse wasn’t an expensive horse. I like to say he was a $50,000 yearling that sold for $10,000. He ended up in a soft spot in the sale and Blair made one bid and we owned him.”