by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Jim Raymer isn’t in a rush to see 2-year-old male trotters Don’t Mind Me and Newcastle make headlines this season. Which probably is just fine with Don’t Mind Me.

“He can do what you ask him to do,” Raymer said, continuing with a laugh, “He’d just rather you not ask him.”

Don’t Mind Me and Newcastle will compete in Wednesday’s Keystone Classic at The Meadows. Don’t Mind Me, who has won two of five races and finished worse than third only once, is in the first of two divisions. Newcastle, who is making his first start, is in the second.

Both horses are owned by Raymer’s and Steve Organ’s Harbor Racing Stable and were purchased for $50,000; Don’t Mind Me at the Lexington Selected Sale and Newcastle at the Standardbred Horse Sale.

“Training down all winter, they were the best,” Raymer said. “If they don’t do it this year, I’m sure they’ll do it next year. They’ve got the size. And they have great manners. Nowadays I think you need manners more than the speed. You need the speed, but you can’t just have speed. Sooner or later they’re just going to follow you and get by you.

“I think if I take care of them now and through the fall and don’t overdo it they should both be good for next year. Maybe next year they’ll be on the front page.”

Chris Gooden photo

Don’t Mind Me has earned $27,400 in five career starts.

Don’t Mind Me is a son of stallion Andover Hall out of the mare Peace Of Mind. His mom is a full sister to multiple-stakes-winner Plesac.

A two-time winner in the Pennsylvania Stallion Stakes series, Don’t Mind Me was scratched from the Sept. 8 final because of illness. He starts Wednesday from post one with Raymer driving and is the 7-2 second choice on the morning line behind Hurrikane Jonny K.

“I think the Stallion series was a good fit for a horse like him,” Raymer said. “You stay away from the (1):55 miles early and maybe you’ll be able to hang on and be good later. He’s the type that’s never been that racy. He’s a 2-year-old in a 5-year-old’s body. He doesn’t even know he’s racing, he’s just got that much ability.

“Each start you can feel him getting stronger. He’s starting to get the hang of it and know what he’s doing. If I make him a good sire stakes horse next year, that’s the plan. If I can make him a good horse next year, that will be even better.”

Newcastle is a son of stallion Cantab Hall out of the mare Blushed. His mom is a full sister to Armbro Blusher, who is the dam of former Raymer star Keystone Activator. Newcastle’s grandmother is Armbro Blush, who was the 1982 Dan Patch Award winner for best 2-year-old filly trotter.

“I went and looked at him specifically because he was out of a sister to the mother of Keystone Activator,” Raymer said. “I liked what I saw and we were able to get him on the first day at Harrisburg before it got too pricey. He was $50,000, but compared to what everything else went later that day, it was reasonable.”

Newcastle won two qualifiers in June, but then missed time because of illness and colt soreness. Newcastle and Raymer will start Wednesday’s race from post six and are 5-1 on the morning line. Ralph R, who finished third in both the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes championship and Standardbred Stakes, is the 3-1 favorite from post three.

“We thought a lot of him early, but as horses go their timetable is usually different than ours,” Raymer said. “This is a learning experience. I think he’s probably in a good spot being outside. He usually has enough gate speed to get spotted and then we’ll see how the race unfolds.

“If they go (1):55 or (1):56, we’re probably in trouble. If they go (1):57 or (1):58, I think he can go with them.”

Newcastle, as well as Don’t Mind Me, is eligible to the Breeders Crown in November. If all goes well, the gelding could have four or five starts by then.

“He’s got to do more, but he’s eligible to the Breeders Crown and some of the other stakes,” Raymer said. “That was the whole reason to get him started, to make sure we find out whether we have the horse we think we have for next year.”