by Rich Fisher, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Rich Fisher

Trenton, NJ — Since he’s not Doctor Doolittle, Howard Schneidler feels there is no real science to buying a horse.

“Most of the time I just look at the program, see what they look like,” Schneidler said. “It’s a coin toss. It is what it is with all these horses. You can’t talk to them. They can’t tell you anything.”

At the 2012 Tattersalls January Select Mixed Sale at the Meadowlands just one little segment of the program told Schneidler all he needed to know about purchasing Sevruga.

“I liked one thing when I saw him,” the Brooklyn native and Long Island resident said. “He had one race at (Harrah’s) Chester in the 3-year-old open and he showed a (1):55 out of the eight hole and won. That’s what I liked about him when I bought him.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Sevruga has banked nearly $500,000 in his career and has a mark of 1:52.

“Plus I was selling a horse at the auction so I had some extra money so it wasn’t gonna cost me that much. I didn’t even know the horse; I looked at the program at the sale. I liked that race and just bid on him.”

And did he feel it was a pretty good move? Schneidler answered that question with one of his own.

“What do you think?”

Apparently, it was a pretty good move.

Howard paid $150,000 for the trotter, who made $244,000 for him last year with 10 wins in 21 races. He took fourth in his only two stakes races, the Maxie Lee Memorial and Nat Ray.

This year, the 5-year-old has five wins in nine starts for $100,100 in earnings. He has finished in the money every race. On Saturday, Sevruga will compete in the $180,000 Arthur J. Cutler Memorial for older trotters at the Meadowlands. He starts from post six in the 10-horse field.

Also in the Cutler is defending champion Mister Herbie, Guccio, Modern Family, Wishing Stone, My MVP, Knows Nothing, Opening Night, Undercover Strike and Ice Machine.

Modern Family, coming off a victory in the Meadowlands Maturity for 4-year-old trotters, and Wishing Stone won last week’s Cutler eliminations. Ice Machine drew into the race after Googoo Gaagaa was scratched because of throat surgery, driver Corey Callahan told harnessracing.com.

Sevruga, trained by Julie Miller and driven by Andy Miller, has his nemesis clearly defined as he lost to Wishing Stone by a nose in their Cutler elimination, and by a neck to Wishing Stone in their previous race.

“I’ve got to beat Wishing Stone,” Schneidler said. “I don’t know what they do. (In the elimination) I got the seven hole and they got the five, so that helps. It’s tough coming out of the seventh post to get to the front.”

The owner isn’t calling Sevruga the horse to beat in the race, but still thinks he can make some noise.

“I’m hoping I’ve got the third or fourth best horse,” he said. “That horse (Modern Family) looks like a pretty good horse. And I looked at that horse at the sale and I didn’t like him.

“But if he gets a good trip we’ve got a shot at taking some money. That’s all you’re looking for is to get some money, that’s all.”

Schneidler, 62, is a father of three and grandfather of five who owns a drywall business that services Long Island and the five New York City boroughs. He grew up on harness racing, hitchhiking to Roosevelt and Yonkers as a kid.

Racing under the ownership name KDM Stables Corp., Schneidler has had some nice horses over the years, including 2010 Meadowlands Pace finalist Valentino and Versado, who is currently $15,000 from winning $1 million in his career. He has also enjoyed success with Western Graduate and Moon Beam, to name a few.

Asked to assess Sevruga, Schneidler said, “He ranks right up there with the good ones. He tries his butt off, that’s what he does. He can suck some air, this horse. He’s got big lungs.”

The owner and the Millers — who have a nice history with trotters — love the horse’s attitude in the stable.

“He’s got an unbelievable personality,” Schneidler said. “He’s a beautiful looking animal and he’s got a good personality to go along with it. He doesn’t do anything wrong.”

Except for maybe a little too much playfulness when it’s time to go to work.

“When he gets on the track he likes to fool around a little bit,” Schneidler said. “Sometimes he doesn’t think it’s time to get down to business. But he’s OK. His best stuff is that he doesn’t get tired coming down the lane. He just keeps going like a locomotive. He never gets tired, he never gives up. He’s a pretty good horse.”

Good enough that Schneidler has invested a pretty good buck in him this year.

“He’s in all the stakes races,” he said. “I paid him into everything. Julie and Andy love him. They love trotters so they know their stuff. He likes to go. He definitely goes.”

Schneidler then concluded with a comment that all owners probably think, but might not always say.

“I just wish he was a little faster,” Howard said, “so I could win everything.”

Following is the Cutler field in post position order with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Mister Herbie, Jody Jamieson, Jeff Gillis; 2. Guccio, Jimmy Takter, Takter; 3. Modern Family, Tim Tetrick, Daryl Bier; 4. Wishing Stone, Yannick Gingras, Ron Burke; 5. My MVP, Mike Lachance, Tony Alagna; 6. Sevruga, Andy Miller, Julie Miller; 7. Knows Nothing, TBA, Gillis; 8. Opening Night, John Campbell, Jim Campbell; 9. Undercover Strike, David Miller, Tony O’Sullivan; 10. Ice Machine, Corey Callahan, Walter Carroll.