by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — She behaves perfectly when she goes to work, however, when 2-year-old trotting filly Seeking Jeanie is in her stall, she prefers to be left to her own devices.

“She is very nice on the racetrack but her stall is her territory,” said her conditioner Jim McDonald. “She’s very protective of who goes in and I think she has the kind of disposition all nice fillies do. She hangs her head out over the door, but if she doesn’t want someone in there, they don’t come in. She has her own personality and she thinks she’s in charge most of the time and we allow her to think that.”

The Florida-bred daughter of Wesgate Storm-Sightseek is a homebred who races for Arthur Mergenhagen of Williston, Fla., and from seven pari-mutuel miles has yet to taste defeat. She has competed exclusively in Florida bred company at Pompano Park and has earned $38,296 to date. The filly established her lifetime mark of 2:02.2f in her last start in an $18,800 Florida Sale Stake on Nov. 24.

Lap Time Photo – Skip Smith

Seeking Jeanie is looking for a big payday on Saturday in the Florida Breeders Stake Final.

Seeking Jeanie will make her next start on Saturday (Dec. 11) in the $58,463 Florida Breeders Stake Final. The filly will leave from the four hole and is the only horse eligible to receive a $100,000 bonus from the Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association for capturing all four Fall Series stakes events for her age, gender and gait.

Although she has been led to the paddock from his barn, McDonald does not consider himself as the person who is responsible for managing the filly’s career.

“This filly was trained by Rod Allen in Ocala,” he explained. “He called me up because it was too far to travel to (Pompano Park) and he wanted me to keep her in my barn, so he could just come down and drive her. We are friends so of course I told him that was no problem.

“After the second week, Rod determined the five hours down and back was too much for him, so we hired Wally Hennessey to drive her and he’s done a great job,” McDonald continued. “Rod made this filly and then dropped her off to me. I can’t take the credit for her, I just do what needs to be done and I consider him the man in charge.”

McDonald already knew the filly had ability before she ever arrived.

“Right from the start she was a nice filly, but Rod had told me she was and I believed it as the Allens have had so many nice horses in the past,” he said. “If Rod says this is going to be a pretty nice filly, you can probably expect she will be.

“She’s not a real big filly, but she’s decent-sized,” McDonald continued. “She showed right away she wanted to beat other horses and she’s been doing that ever since she started.”

Seeking Jeanie only goes two training trips a week and she does wear boots, but that’s simply a safety measure.

“She is very simple (to train),” said McDonald. “We don’t go fast and just put two exercise miles into her each week. Basically she goes in 2:45 for her first mile and around 2:20 for her second.

“She does wear boots but that’s only really for precaution,” he continued. “She’s pretty clean gaited and may dust a boot here or there, but again most nice horses don’t hit themselves, that’s why they are nice horses.”

When she first started racing, Seeking Jeanie’s preferred style was to come to the wire off cover, but as she has gained experience her tactics have changed.

“She was better off a helmet, but now she has gotten to where she likes to be on the lead,” McDonald said. “She likes to be in control. You can leave pretty good with her, then shut her down on the lead and she waits for them to come. Wally Hennessey said she is a very smart filly with great manners and he really can do anything with her.

“Last week we got pressured and she jumped up,” he continued. “She trotted in 2:02(.2) and came home her last quarter in :29 and a piece (:29.4). She just went faster and is just a real nice filly. She can do it anyway she has to.”

Saturday’s start will be the last of Seeking Jeanie’s freshman campaign and her connections are not quite sure where and when she will race next year.

“There is a series coming up here for 3-year-olds in February, but Rod and the owner decided to not put her in,” McDonald said. “Rod thought she had enough starts for a 2-year-old trotter and her health and welfare is the main concern. As far as I know, the plan right now is to get through the year and then we will see what we’ve got in the spring. My guess is the owner may take her up north for a little bit.

“We don’t really know what this filly can do,” he continued. “She’s never really been called on yet and Wally never seems to have to get on her down by the wire. Anytime they want to pressure her, she just goes faster and seems to be doing it comfortably. It’s nice to have one where you don’t know where the end is and I don’t want to know where it is. If we find out, we are not going to be happy because it means someone got by us.”

$58,463 Florida Breeders Stake Final–2-Year-Old Filly Trot
PP-Horse-Driver-Trainer
1-Glorious Gator-Tom Lehmann-Tom Lehmann
2-Donna’s An Angel-Tom Sells-Luanna Beeson
3-Little Peanut-Robert Williams, Jr.-Linda Kakaley
4-Seeking Jeanie-Wally Hennessey-Patrick Hannon/Jim McDonald Stable
5-Cracker Charity-Terry McIntyre-Phillip Peavyhouse
6-Brielle T-Robert Hoffman-David Myrick
7-Trotting For Daddy-Donald Dupont-Marie Dupont