by M. Kelly Young, Executive Assistant, Harness Horse Breeders of New York

Syracuse, NY — In his still short career, Victory Speech has been leaving his mark in the history books while traveling across the state for New York Sires Stakes, setting track records at the two venues he has visited so far.

Now the lightly tested two-year-old trotting colt, who is perfect in two starts, will be heading to post in a New York Sires Stakes State Fair division when the Syracuse Mile opens for its three day meet on Friday, August 13, at the New York State Fairgrounds.

Jeff Gregory has steered the Michael Polansky-owned colt in all of his pari-mutuel starts and will be in the bike again on Friday, leaving from post two. But according to the driver, Victory Speech will not make an attempt to break the 1:56³ track mark at Syracuse — unless he must to seal the victory.

“I won’t push him to go faster than he needs to in order to win, he’s still young. But by the same token, it seems like I would do more harm pulling him in than going on with him. He’s a colt that likes to go on,” explained the driver.

Trained by Saratoga’s Dave Spagnola, Victory Speech set a 2:02 track record in the first start of his career at Monticello Raceway on July 18 and a 2:00³ track record in his second start on August 3 at Saratoga Gaming and Raceway.

“At Monticello he was real nervous, I don’t know if it was the track or maybe because it was his first start,” explained Gregory of the horse’s run-away 34 length victory. “Believe me, I don’t like winning races by that many lengths. He’s a young horse who has a long season ahead of him.

“(At Saratoga) we kept him quiet scoring down and kept him off by himself. That seemed to help a lot, I was able to back off a little on the second and third quarter. There is a chance he might relax even more on a big track. I expect him to be good at Syracuse, it feels like there is a little more in the tank.”

Gregory noted that his toughest competition in the race should be Hewitt Blue Chip from post six. That Sir Taurus gelding is owned by trainer-driver Ray Schnittker with Seal Stable and Stephen Demeter.

He has twice as many starts as Victory Speech and also scored in 2:00³ his last time out. While Gregory is expected to send his horse out for the early lead, Schnittker is planning a different approach.

“I’m going to try to race him off the pace and I think I have a chance of beating the other horse with that kind of trip,” said Schnittker of his mount. “His strength right now is that he can go faster than most of the other colts. He trained very good at the Meadowlands (a mile track in New Jersey) all winter and he could go with my good horses.”

Also on Friday’s 14 race card, with purses reaching nearly $210,000, two-year-old trotting and pacing fillies will be featured. Pacer Pembroke Firefly will start for trainer Jack Bailey in the first race from post seven. She has been beaten only once in her five-start career and has already earned $20,000.

Perfectly Sealed, the only horse to down Pembroke Firefly, is the 7-2 second choice in the third race. Chapeau, the 5-2 favorite, has rolled smoothly through her two Sires Stakes starts and comes from the same connections as Victory Speech.

Among the filly trotters, Minnesota Chelsea has dominated the Sires Stakes so far, along with Twin B Senorita, who opted not to start at Syracuse. Minnesota Chelsea is a product of the Doug Ackerman Stable of LaPorte, Indiana — bred, raised and trained by the seasoned horseman. His son, D.R., will direct the filly again and will be looking for her fourth straight victory.

Mickeys Hit healthy and hoping for first win

The connections of three-year-old trotter Mickeys Hit finally believe that he is primed and ready to win his first race of the year on Saturday, August 14.

After overcoming several health problems, the Richard Dow-owned gelding will be competing in one of five New York Sires Stakes State Fair divisions at the Syracuse Mile.

“We’re probably going to get one on Saturday,” said Dow of victory eluding his horse so far this year. “He’s a good solid horse and he just gives his all.”

Dow, a resident of Holland Patent, New York, and an occasional driver at Vernon Downs, purchased Mickeys Hit as a yearling. The gelding earned almost $40,000 as a two-year-old and won four of his 10 starts — including a track-record setting performance at Vernon Downs.

As a three-year-old, however, the colt has a string of second and third-place finishes in the Sires Stakes, but has not posed for any pictures in the winner’s circle yet.

“At Saratoga (his last two starts) I think we finally got him right,” said Dow. “We knew something was wrong with him, but we couldn’t figure it out. The end of the mile he just wasn’t right. We took blood tests and nothing came back, then one said his thyroid (hormones) were a little low. We put him on thyroid medicine, but we didn’t think that was the whole problem. Then we did an allergy test and found out he was allergic to alfalfa — and he was eating alfalfa cubes every day.”

After changing the horse’s diet and putting him on medicine, he has now put on a little weight and filled out some.

“He’s finally on the right track,” said Dow, who will be in attendance at the New York State Fairgrounds Saturday to watch what he hopes will be his horse’s first victory in 2004 in the fourth race.

Though Mickeys Hit has been using a pocket trip nearly all summer to ride to the finish line, Dow explained that he is actually better on the front end.

“When he comes to that last quarter and is on the front and a horse comes after him, he gives even more than he has.”

Should he get the lead, Mickeys Hit, the 5-2 morning line favorite, will have to contend with Clint Galbraith’s Latino Kash from post seven. That homebred colt is a closer and could challenge whichever horse is on top coming down the stretch.

Also featured on the 11 race card Saturday are three divisions of three-year-old trotting fillies and three divisions of two-year-old pacing colts. Total purses for the afternoon reach nearly $210,000.

Among the trotting fillies starting are two from the stable of Paul and Pauline Nower trained by Jody Weidman: El Paso Gal in the second race and Comeupforair in the third. Both won their last Sires Stakes leg at Monticello and look to become the standouts of the class.

The outstanding young pacing colt Pat’s All Star was installed as the 8-5 morning line favorite in race 11. Driver Jeff Gregory has been entrusted with extending the colt’s career winning streak to five. Dear Old Boy in the same division with Gates Brunet will attempt to be the spoiler and score his third win of the year following a second place finish to Pat’s All Star their last time out.

Live harness racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the Syracuse Mile will be held Friday, August 13, through Sunday, August 15. The Dr. Harry M. Zweig Memorial Trot will be featured on Sunday, with two of the recent Hambletonian starters among the entrants. Post time each day is 1:00 p.m. Admission and parking are free.

Free buses are available from downtown Syracuse to the track each racing day. Blue Chip Transportation buses will leave from the intersection of East Washington and Salina Streets at noon on Friday and at noon and 12:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Buses will depart for the return trip from the NYS Fairgrounds 15 minutes after the last race daily.

For more information, call the Syracuse Mile at 315-487-5780.