by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — Heading into most of Tracys Song’s races, trainer Bob Lounsbury has been confident. That’s understandable when a horse is on a 15-race win streak.

On Monday, Tracys Song will try to make it 16 in a row and set the record for most consecutive victories at Monticello Raceway; she now shares the mark with Northern Chief, who won 15 straight starts at Monticello in 2010. Lounsbury feels good about Tracys Song’s prospects, but not as good as usual.

Tracys Song, an 8-year-old pacing mare, and regular driver Bruce Aldrich, Jr. start their record-setting attempt from post five in a field of seven and are 8-5 on the morning line.

Geri Schwarz photo

Tracys Song will be gunning for her 16th straight win on Monday.

“We’re going to give it a shot,” Lounsbury said. “Usually I’m pretty confident, but I like (Allikait Fighter) a little bit. I’ve got my eye on her. I feel we’re going to get tested this week.”

The 9-year-old Allikait Fighter is coming off her first victory in nine starts this year, winning in 1:57.3 on May 13 at Monticello, and has won 51 times during her career. Allikait Fighter starts from post two with Jim Taggart, Jr. driving for trainer Betsy Phillips. The mare is 7-2 on the morning line.

“It looks like she’s rounding into form,” Lounsbury said. “She’s getting fresh and we’re maybe getting a little bit tired.”

Tracys Song is owned by Nancy Fugere, who acquired the mare in early January for $4,000 on Lounsbury’s advice. A daughter of stallion Astreos, Tracys Song is the only foal out of the mare Daylon Reality and has won 39 of 119 career races, earning $335,034.

She had her best season in 2009, at the age of 4, winning 12 times and banking $187,118 for trainer Ron Burke. She won the Petticoat Pacing Series final at Yonkers Raceway and was a force in the preferred handicap ranks at The Meadows. This year, Tracys Song has won 15 of 16 starts and earned $27,758.

“For a cheap horse she’s got a lot of class to her,” Lounsbury said. “We’re just having a good time with her.”

The good times began on Jan. 22 when Tracys Song won by 3-3/4 lengths in a race for $4,000 claimers. She hasn’t stopped winning since and moved up to the top claiming class for pacing mares, $7,500, at Monticello. Her closest call came March 11 when she won by a neck over Skyway Hanover. Three times she has won by a half-length, most recently April 29, after which she received a two-week breather.

During her streak she has won twice from post eight and twice from post seven; both posts have a win rate of less than 5 percent.

“I don’t think people realize how hard this is,” Lounsbury said. “You can get sick, have bad luck; anything can happen in a horse race. We’ve just had good luck and Bruce does a good job keeping her out of trouble. We’re going on five months without a hiccup, which doesn’t really happen.”

It has happened because of Tracys Song’s heart, Lounsbury said. On Monday, he hopes it can happen again.

“She just wants to win,” Lounsbury said. “She’s been headed a couple of times in the stretch, but when those other horses come into view she just digs in and doesn’t want to get beat.”