by Kimberly French, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

Kimberly French

Louisville, KY — When asked about his 3-year-old colt, Better Caviar, trainer David Wade wasn’t exactly sure which horse in his barn was being referred to.

“I don’t know the name of that horse,” he said and then paused. “I’m just kidding. I liked him all last year, but he told me he didn’t want to race and that he wanted to go to summer camp. Mentally he was good, but physically he just wasn’t mature enough.

“I liked him so much I bought his half brother (by Broadway Hall and now named Better On Broadway) last fall,” the McMurray, Pa. resident continued. “I went to the auction to look at one horse and I brought him home. That’s what I thought of this colt.”

Better Caviar, who is a son of SJ’s Caviar-Better Credit, was purchased by the partnership of Wade, Gerald Brittingham, Kelley Rogers and William Peel III in the fall of 2009 for $35,000 from the Lexington Selected Sale.

Chris Gooden photo

Better Caviar has won six of his first seven lifetime starts, with earnings of $39,850.

The colt, who was previously named Lima Beacon, commenced his career on February 24 at the Meadows in an $8,200 non-winners of one race. He has trotted seven total race miles with six victories and $39,850 in earnings while establishing his lifetime best of 1:55.3f, which was the fastest mile to date for his age, gait and gender, this past Monday in the $15,000 second leg of the Rembrandt Spur series at the Meadows. The final is scheduled for April 25.

“When I started him back in the fall he did everything right,” Wade explained. “Actually he had me scratching my head wondering if he really is as good as I thought he was. I made massive stakes payments with him and I’m not a good gambler, so I don’t play craps, but I’ll play a little bit now.

“He’s in everything except the Kentucky Futurity and of course you can do that like I did with Trade Balance years ago, but to tell you the truth I don’t expect to take him to Lexington no matter how good he is,” he continued. “I don’t care to go two heats, Trade Balance even had to go three, but he’s going to have an awfully long season. This guy will have almost 17 starts and a lot of people are going to read that and say this guy is nuts.”

His conditioner thinks as highly of Better Caviar’s disposition as he does his physical ability.

“He was a little studdish when I bought him and a little immature, but I trained him down at Pinehurst when he was a yearling on his way to two and when he left, he was settled and controlled,” Wade said. “He is just a delight to be around. I wouldn’t give him to a child or a non-horseman, because he would take advantage of them.

“He needs a little discipline now and then, but all it takes is looking at him and telling him to cut it out,” he continued. “He’s a very smart boy and two of the greatest things about S J’s Photo (another top Wade trainee) were his courage and teachability. He was really smart, and ready to learn. This colt is that way too.”

After Monday’s race, Better Caviar will have a three week vacation before he tackles the rest of his 2011 engagements.

“I would take next week as the end of his 2-year-old year,” Wade said. “He’s gotten in his conditioning and learned how to go fast. To me, his 3-year-old campaign begins May 17 in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. Then we have two races in May and I think three races in June. Then if he’s still good, July gets busy.

“We start off with the Yonkers Trot,” he continued. “Like I said if he’s still good, we race every Saturday, which is five in a row coming into the Hambletonian. We might skip a week somewhere, but if he gets tired we will make an adjustment. We will see how he holds up to it. So far it’s been pretty stress free.”

Wade admits Better Caviar still has something to prove.

“Most of his races have been from the half on and that’s by design, but he’s taken to it real well,” he said. “He’s going to have to get in with the bearcats eventually and race for more than a half mile, but I think he will respond; I think he will be ready for it. Dan Rawlings (his driver for all seven starts) has done a great job educating him and we are right on track where we want to be.”