East Rutherford, NJ — Saturday night’s (April 5) fifth race at The Meadowlands has one starter that may have onlookers rubbing their eyes in disbelief. Yes, Always B Colour IR looks different. So different, in fact, you’ve likely never seen one behind a starting gate that looks like him. You see, Always B Colour IR is a pinto, or skewbald, as they are known in Australia.
A pinto is “a horse or pony of various breeding that is marked with patches of white and another color,” according to the Merriam-Webster dictionary website, but the definition doesn’t do justice to just how striking one of these horses are once one sees them up close.
“I grew up knowing these horses to be called skewbald,” said Always B Colour IR’s trainer, Shane Tritton. “They’re very rare. Obviously, it’s the coloring. They have skewbalds racing in Australia and Europe, but they’ve always had a notorious history of not producing the best horses. People want these things and try to breed them because they love the coloring but not many of them have turned out to be high-quality racehorses.”
So, what is Always B Colour IR doing at The Meadowlands?
“In certain parts of Ireland, they predominantly only race the skewbalds,” said Tritton. “Every now and again, one ventures out of their little racing community to try and mix in with the other racehorses and some of them rise up and there’s been a couple who’ve done fairly well. But this horse, we believe, is on a whole new level, and that’s basically why he’s come to us, because they believe based on what they’ve seen of him in Ireland, he’s possibly the best one that’s ever been produced and that’s why he’s here. To give him a shot to prove that.”
A 4-year-old son of Always B Miki-Mamma Said who has drawn post four on Saturday, in his first start on American soil, Always B Colour IR showed speed before finishing third in what was a solid qualifier. According to Tritton, his mile time of 1:52 was the fastest-ever for the breed. His last charted line before that was a third-place finish racing in Ireland seven months ago.
“We went to the Vincent Delaney Memorial in Ireland last year,” said Tritton. “He raced that day, and my wife Lauren fell in love with him straight away, as she does. He raced quite well and we approached the trainer and said he’s a beautiful horse, and mentioned that if he wanted a home for him, we’d love to have something to do with him if he progresses.
“I think it was three or four months later we got in contact with a couple of people, the breeders from over in Ireland that put the owner, Shane Curtin, in contact with us, and he kind of reached out and said would you be interested in giving this guy a shot, I think he could be pretty special. We were happy to give him a go. We’ve had a bit of luck with these Irish horses. We know that they can step up to the plate in this country. I do believe he is every bit as good as they think he is and, hopefully, with a bit of experience racing over here, he’s going to prove it.”
Shane is his stable’s trainer, but when it comes to Always B Colour IR, Lauren, who is the horse’s driver, was the person who got this all started.
“He’s a really lovely horse to have around the barn,” said Lauren. “I saw him in his stall at the Vincent Delaney Memorial and there was no one around. I walked past him and I said to Shane, ‘Find whoever owns or trains this horse, because we are taking him home.’”
Lauren, a two-time winner of the driver’s premiership back in her native Australia, is looking forward to the process with her new horse.
“He has a lot of learning to do,” said Lauren. “When I first sat behind him, I felt so much raw talent but he just didn’t know what to do with it. He needs help. He’s good gaited and has lovely manners. It’s not going to be hard to teach him. I’m really excited to be a part of this. This type of thing is something the industry needs right now.”
Due to the small purses he raced for in Europe, Always B Colour IR, who is in a non-winners of two on Saturday, fits the maiden 4-year-old class, so Shane is hoping a win will come shortly.
“The mother looks the way he does,” said Shane. “She was good in their racing. He’s the most unique horse you’ll ever see. We were walking back from the qualifiers, to warm up, and there were 30 people that stopped him on the way to the track. He is certainly something people don’t see every day.”
Shane is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“I have a very high opinion of him,” said the trainer. “He’s held his own against some of the nicer horses we have at home. I know he’s still very green but my dream is that he’s going to be the first horse with coloring like this to break 1:50. That would be what dreams are made of.”
FREE PPs: To show appreciation to its loyal fan base, The Meadowlands offers free program pages for every race of every race card on its website.
Go to playmeadowlands.com, then click on the “news” dropdown to get the past performances at absolutely no cost.
THE SCHEDULE: During the month of April, live racing at The Big M will be conducted every Friday and Saturday with a first-race post-time of 6:20 p.m.
CATCH THE SHOW: Check out the live “Racing from The Meadowlands” pregame show at 5:45 p.m. every Friday and Saturday when track announcer Ken Warkentin opens up the mic with a scene set and program changes.
Warkentin will then throw to the Sam McKee Memorial Broadcast Set, where The Big M’s Dave Little and Jessica Otten will provide news, notes, selections and a look at the night’s featured races.
Joe Romanelli will handle interviews from the back paddock as well as providing commentary and selections on the FanDuel Television (FDTV) feed.
THE BILL OF FARE: Every night, The Meadowlands offers a marvelous menu of popular wagers that offer a low 15 percent takeout.
They are:
20-cent Pick-5: Races 1-5
20-cent Survivor Pick-7: Races 3-9 (mandatory payout nightly)
50-cent Pick-4: Races 6-9 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
20-cent Pick-6: Races 8-13
50-cent Pick 4: Races 10-13 ($50,000 guaranteed pool)
10-cent non-jackpot Pentafecta (Hi-5): Race 14
TIME TO GET SOCIAL: Everything Meadowlands is available by going on X. You can check in with the Big M team for early changes, racing information and staff selections by going to @themeadowlands or #playbigm.
Stay in touch with The Big M team of Otten (@JessicaOtten1), Little (@DaveLittleBigM) and Warkentin (@kenvoiceover).
A GRAND NIGHT: The fourth edition of the 2025 Meadowlands monthly handicapping contest takes place on Saturday (April 19). The event goes for prize money totaling $1,000.
For those interested in taking part, these are the details:
There is a $1,000 prize pool and the top two finishers earn entry into a December invitation-only tournament that will go for $10,000 in prize money.
Contestants must be on-site to participate.
For complete information, and to enter, go here.
HAVE A GREAT STEAK: On Saturday (April 19), there will be an exquisite steak dinner offered in the Skyboxes at The Meadowlands.
The cost of just $100 per person includes a racing program and a $10 betting voucher.
Make your reservations early for what is certain to be a fantastic four-course meal.
To take a look at the menu, and to make reservations, go here.
PARTY ON: Looking to book a corporate event or private party? The Meadowlands has unlimited event possibilities. The redesigned Gallery with multiple TVs, private bar and balcony overlooking the FanDuel Sportsbook is perfect for game days, watch parties and more.
To book your private party, email alokshin@playmeadowlands.com.