by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — The USTA website will provide periodic glimpses at some of harness racing’s stars as they prepare for action this year. Today, we look at multiple-award-winner Anndrovette.

ANNDROVETTE
Riverboat King–Easy Miss–Big Towner

Owners: Bamond Racing and Joseph Davino
Breeder: Golden Touch Stable
Trainer: Jeff Bamond Jr.
Driver: Tim Tetrick

2014 Record: 22-6-4-4; $520,352; 1:49.1s
Career: 110-41-18-19; $3.10 million; 1:48s

Honors: Dan Patch Award for best older female pacer in 2014 (tie with Rocklamation), 2013, 2012, 2011. O’Brien Award for best older female pacer in 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Trainer Jeff Bamond Jr. and his star pacing mare Anndrovette.

The road back: The 8-year-old Anndrovette will qualify for the first time this season on Saturday at the Meadowlands. She is expected to qualify twice before beginning her campaign in the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series on March 20 at Yonkers Raceway. Anndrovette is a two-time runner-up in the Matchmaker final.

“To this point, she’s been the same mare that she’s been coming back the last couple years,” trainer Jeff Bamond Jr. said. “We’ve got to hope for the same (results) but everything looks the same so far. We’re starting with the Matchmaker and her schedule, as far as what we’ve mapped out, looks pretty much the same as previous years. Normally, people might scale things back at her age, but she hasn’t shown us anything to indicate we need to.”

Repeat after me: Anndrovette’s fourth consecutive Dan Patch Award in 2014 set the record for an older female pacer and equaled Eternal Camnation’s record for the most awards given to any pacer in history. Anndrovette also won the Roses Are Red for an unprecedented third consecutive year in 2014. And she is one of two horses to win the Breeders Crown Mare Pace in back-to-back years. The other is her stablemate Shelliscape.

Money matters: Anndrovette led all older female pacers in earnings in 2014. She ranks No. 15 in earnings among all pacers in history and is No. 2 among all female pacers, trailing only Eternal Camnation ($3.74 million).

“It wasn’t the same typical way she went about it, but the end result last season was pretty much the same as the previous two years,” Bamond said, referring to 2013 when Anndrovette won seven races and $558,201 and 2012 when she won seven races and $698,715. “Usually she won a lot of races at the end of the year and last year was kind of the opposite. But she won a lot of eliminations and just had some tough trips in finals.”

The time of her life: Anndrovette set her career mark of 1:48 in winning the 2013 Roses Are Red Stakes at Mohawk Racetrack. The time was a stakes, track and Canadian record.

World Wide Racing Photos

Anndrovette has banked $3.10 million in her career.

Business as usual: Bamond says Anndrovette is a professional when it comes to her job.

“When she comes back in after we turn her out, she’s definitely a very friendly horse to be around,” Bamond said. “Then when she starts going and racing a little bit, she definitely knows what her work is. She’s determined. She knows what she’s there to do; she knows she’s not there to be a pet. She knows her business.”

Stable life: The 30-year-old Bamond, who along with his father Jeff Sr. makes up Bamond Racing, is in his first year as the trainer of the family’s racehorses. He formerly worked in the financial world, but found himself spending more and more time at the barn and decided to begin a new career.

“It’s something I’ve always wanted to do and something I’ve been working toward the last couple of years,” Bamond said. “Maybe three years ago I started coming out every morning. It’s been great. I really enjoy it a lot. I don’t feel too much pressure. We have partners on three horses, but they’re real good about it. We have no other owners, so if the horses don’t perform (as an owner) I can only blame myself.

“That’s why I don’t drive,” he added with a laugh. “At least it leaves me someone to blame.”

Ice, ice baby: Bamond was a hockey player at Brick Memorial High School in New Jersey, where he was a forward and finished his career with 175 points. He played one year in college.

“It’s such a hard sport,” Bamond said. “It’s a fulltime job. In college, it’s really one of the only sports where you’re competing with people from other countries. In football, it’s pretty much an American sport. In hockey, you start getting guys from Canada and Russia and around the world. I learned quickly how hard it really is. I think it’s the hardest sport to really go far.”

Down, but not out: Bamond recently took a bad step while running and tore a knee ligament, which will require surgery in the upcoming weeks.

“I’m going to have to work around it,” he said. “I’ll park my car on the (training) track, that’s about the best I can do at this point. At least I can crank the heat up that way.”