by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Freehold, NJ — Tony Alagna says he believes Timesareachanging can return to being a stakes-caliber pacer. On Sunday, the 6-year-old gelding will have his first chance to prove Alagna correct.

Timesareachanging, the former Dan Patch Award winner who missed all of 2006 because of a small tear to a left front check ligament, is among the eight horses in Sunday’s $300,000 Ben Franklin Pace at Harrah’s Chester Casino and Racetrack near Philadelphia. It’s his first stakes final since the American-National in November 2005.

So far this year, Timesareachanging has won three of nine starts and earned $52,609. He was sixth for trainer Ervin Miller and driver Andy Miller in the Ben Franklin elimination race on July 22 and will start from post seven in the final.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Tony Alagna hopes his 6-year-old pupil Timesareachanging will be adding a few ‘Ben Franklins’ to his account on Sunday.

“He raced well the other day,” said Alagna, Miller’s assistant trainer who oversees the New Jersey branch of the stable. “He got away last from post seven, but went in (1):51 with a final quarter of :27.2 (seconds). That’s as much, if not more, than he paced in Canada. I think he’ll be a little sharper this week. We were happy with the effort.”

Timesareachanging was coming off a 1:51.1 victory in an overnight race around Mohawk’s seven-eighths-mile track on July 7. His sixth-place finish in the Franklin elim was just his second off-the-board effort of the season; the other was May 19 when he bled and was subsequently put on Lasix.

“I think he can be a stakes horse, especially on the smaller tracks,” Alagna said. “If he draws inside, he can go right along with this group. I’m not saying he’s going to beat Lis Mara, but he can go with that group, for sure. He’s always shown he’s a great small-track horse.”

In 2004, Timesareachanging won two of the three jewels in the Pacing Triple Crown (the Cane Pace and Little Brown Jug) in addition to the Adios; all three races were on either half-mile or five-eighths-mile tracks. He was named the sport’s best 3-year-old male pacer after finishing the season with 10 wins and nearly $1.2 million in purses.

During his 3- and 4-year-old seasons, Timesareachanging won eight of 16 races on small tracks and finished second on five occasions.

The Ben Franklin Pace, which is race 9 on Sunday’s card, features three other Dan Patch Award winners in defending older male pacing champ Lis Mara, 2005 older male pacing champ Boulder Creek, and 2005 2-year-old champ Jereme’s Jet. It also includes last year’s Meadowlands Pace winner, Artistic Fella, plus former world-record holder Gold Dust Beach and multiple stakes winner Took Hanover.

“We’ll race (Timesareachanging) here and see how he comes along,” Alagna said. “We’ll see if we should race him here in the open or send him to Canada for the Canadian Pacing Derby. It’s hard to tell how horses will progress; look at Boulder Creek, he keeps going right along. You hope they continue to get better.”

Editor’s Note: Be sure to pick up the September issue of Hoof Beats Magazine to read an in-depth profile on the career of Timesareachanging and his return to the track this season! For more information or to subscribe to the USTA’s award-winning publication, please visit www.hoofbeatsmagazine.com.