by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY —He is not a loaded gun. He is, however, a 2-year-old colt that paced in 1:53.4h in his third lifetime start for a seasonal Canadian record. Therefore, Tony O’Sullivan is thrilled with the potential that Semi Automatic possesses. Especially since this guy did not stand out training down.

“Eric Cherry was responsible for the deal that brought him to us,” said O’Sullivan. “I have trained some horses for him before and he asked if I was willing to take a chance on this one. He was purchased privately because he was a smallish individual and not a horse that was one for the sales. He was sound all winter but had a lot of health problems. He didn’t really come around until February and then he just blossomed the more we trained him.”

The son of Badlands Hanover and the D M Dilinger mare Topgun Lady, who is owned by Cherry’s Let It Ride Stables, O’Sullivan and J&T Silva Stables, will take aim on his opponents in the C$227,397 Battle of Waterloo final at Grand River Raceway on Monday (Aug. 3) in the 11th and last race on the card.

Unfortunately, his triumph in his elimination did not carry enough weight to have his nose on the gate. Semi Automatic will trail the field from post nine with James MacDonald steering him for the mile.

Iron Horse photo

Semi Automatic set a Canadian season’s record with a win in 1:53.4 in his Battle of Waterloo elimination.

“He has only three starts and has improved with each one,” O’Sullivan said. “It was like something changed in him when he qualified. Like he knew what he was supposed to do and enjoyed it.”

Although he wasn’t exactly the best looking colt or the most physically gifted, Semi Automatic, with a record of 3-1-1-1 and just under $30,000 in the bank, has the pedigree to be any kind of horse. His dam never made it past a qualifying race, but his granddam, the Albatross mare Keystone Trinidad, earned $181,787 on the racetrack and produced Invitro (by Camluck) p,4,1:50s ($1,983,077) and Bigtime Ball (by Presidential Ball) p,5,1:48.2s ($1,558,519).

“He definitely has the pedigree to be a nice horse,” O’Sullivan said. “But he also has such a nice mind. He is so willing. He wears no boots or headpoles and still came home his last quarters in his first two races in :26.2. His second race he even had the nine hole and still raced very well.”

Semi Automatic was third and second in his two qualifying races on June 27 and July 4 at Mohawk Racetrack. In his career debut on July 11 over the same surface he was again a bridesmaid in a $55,300 Ontario Sires Stakes Gold contest. His second start, in an $80,850 Sires Stakes Gold engagement on July 18, was a third place finish after an outside trip. In his Battle of Waterloo elimination, which was his third trip to the post, the colt showed he had plenty of ammunition in reserve.

O’Sullivan was concerned as he watched the race unfold and was fearful of how his horse would finish.

“(A time of) 1:53.4 is a serious mile for any horse on a half-(mile track) let alone a 2-year-old,” he said. “I saw those fractions when he went to the front and was very nervous. He had never shown gate speed. I knew he had it because he is an easy horse and doesn’t show everything, we just had not seen it yet, but he had never been on the front before. I was not sure he was that kind of horse to be able to do it cutting out the mile. James (MacDonald) said after the race was over he did it well within himself. He never even realized he was going that fast.”

Despite his obvious prowess during the latter stages of his fledging career, Semi Automatic will only compete in Ontario Sires Stakes contests throughout 2015.

“Because he was sick so often and small we did not stake him to anything other than those races,” O’Sullivan said. “It was also a significant amount to make him eligible because payments were not made on him when he was a weanling. There is plenty of money to be made in these events and if we decide we want to supplement him to other races we always can. It depends on him.

“I did take note of how he looked after his race last week. He’s not a flashy horse, but he is well put together. All his parts are in the right places and it looks like he could be a really nice horse. Anything in this business is a risk and Eric asked me if I was willing to take a chance on him. This is one occasion where the risk was worth the reward.”

Below is the field, with drivers, trainers and morning line, for the Battle of Waterloo final.

C$227,397 Battle of Waterloo
Horse-Driver-Trainer
1. Think On It-John Campbell-Robert McIntosh-9-2
2. Stonebridge Beach-Stephane Pouliot-Stephane Larocque-8-1
3. A Bettors Risk-Jonathan Drury-Casie Coleman-5-1
4. Carolina Hurricane-Sylvain Filion-Ronald Adams-12-1
5. Continual Hanover-Mike Saftic-Jack Darling-15-1
6. Imsporty-Jody Jamieson-Carl Jamieson-3-1
7. Magnum J-Doug McNair-Gregg McNair-5-2
8. Chalk Player-Bob McClure-Jeffrey Gillis-20-1
9. Semi Automatic-James MacDonald-Tony O’Sullivan-8-5