by Charlene Sharpe, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Charlene Sharpe

Westminster, MD — Pacing stallion Cam’s Rocket added a unique accolade to his name last week — his progeny set track records on both the trot and pace within a five day period.

While most harness racing fans know of Googoo Gaagaa‘s exciting triumph in the Colonial Trot at Harrah’s Philadelphia in 1:52.1, fellow Cam’s Rocket offspring Bonnie Ben Jamin elicited some admiration of her own with an effortless 1:56.3 win in the 2-year-old pacing filly division of the Maryland Sire Stakes at Ocean Downs.

The filly, sired by Cam’s Rocket and out of the mare Jamin J (Nuclear High), is owned by Brian Emerson, cousin of Googoo Gaagaa‘s owner and trainer Richard Hans, and trained by Judith Welty. Both horses are trained at the family’s Westminster, Md., farm.

Best Bet photo

Bonnie Ben Jamin set an Ocean Downs track record for 2-year-old pacing fillies with her 1:56.3 score on August 23 in the Maryland Sire Stakes final.

In spite of her diminutive size, Bonnie, as she’s known on the farm, put on several big performances at the track this summer. She went undefeated against both Maryland Sire Stakes and Maryland Race Fund competition, earning $47,162 and setting an Ocean Downs track record for 2-year-old pacing fillies.

“She was perfect right from the start,” Emerson said.

He admits that came as a surprise to him. Along with being small, her older brothers, Jambest, Nine Avenue J and Rock N Jam, had not proved overly successful on the racetrack.

“I figured she’d be the worst since she was a filly,” Emerson said.

He started to feel optimistic about her, however, when she proved a willing and easy pupil to break and train down. Bonnie Ben Jamin officially made the races in June, when she qualified in 2:00.2 with a :28.1 last quarter at Philadelphia.

“She’s the first horse I broke in myself,” Emerson said, “so that was pretty exciting.”

From there Bonnie Ben Jamin went to Ocean Downs, where she went unbeaten the entire summer. After winning qualifiers at the ocean oval in 2:02.3 and 1:59.4 for driver Jim Morand, the filly trounced her Maryland Sire Stakes competition, winning the elimination in a stakes record 1:57.3.

While she seemed a sure winner as she headed onto the track the following week for the $38,000 final, Emerson had to hold his breath as he watched the filly make not one break but several, as she jumped over nearly every shadow on the track. She still prevailed though, winning in 2:00.1.

Charlene Sharpe photo

Brian Emerson walks Bonnie Ben Jamin to the spitbox following her 1:56.3 win on August 23.

After that, Emerson was quick to put a larger shadow roll — one that had to be trimmed to fit her small head — on Bonnie Ben Jamin. It seemed to do the trick, as she won a $10,725 Maryland Standardbred Race Fund stake handily. She rounded out the season with two final Maryland Sire Stakes wins, the latter by more than 10 lengths in 1:56.3.

“That really excited me,” Emerson said.

After going five for five Bonnie Ben Jamin is enjoying a bit of a respite before her Maryland stakes pick up later this fall at Rosecroft Raceway.

Emerson, who has been helping his family members with their racehorses practically since he graduated from high school, is thrilled to finally enjoy success with one of his own. The filly’s achievements have even gotten Emerson back in touch with some relatives he hadn’t communicated with in years.

Bonnie Ben Jamin, he explained, is named after his cousin, whose maiden name was Bonnie Benjamin. Naturally she has become one of the filly’s biggest fans.

“We talk on Facebook and she wants to know how ‘her’ horse is doing,” Emerson joked.

While Bonnie Ben Jamin proved to be a Free State standout from the moment she hit the track, she was not the only Cam’s Rocket offspring to turn a few heads this summer. Although he missed the early round of stakes at Ocean Downs, Firecracker Freddy (Cam’s Rocket-So Advanced) made it back to the races just in time to put in two impressive performances in the Maryland Sire Stakes. He defeated his fellow 2-year-old pacing colts by 16 lengths in 2:01.2 for driver Corey Callahan on August 15 and followed that up with a 24-1/2 length win in the $38,000 final the next week. The colt is trained by Roger Hans.