by Ken Weingartner, Harness Racing Communications

Ken Weingartner

Freehold, NJ — It may be difficult to teach old dogs new tricks, but the father-and-son team of trainer Carl Jamieson and driver Jody Jamieson seem to have been effective teaching an older horse a new way to race.

Four-year-old male pacer Warrawee Needy has been competing from off the pace in his most recent races, with the last two starts producing a 1:48.3 win in the Gold Cup Invitational at Mohawk Racetrack on June 15 and a 1:46.4 victory in his elimination for Saturday’s $471,800 William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands.

His time of 1:46.4 in last weekend’s Haughton elim equaled the fastest race mile in harness racing history. Holborn Hanover set the record in 2006 and Somebeachsomewhere tied it in 2008. Cambest holds the record for the fastest mile in history with a 1:46.1 clocking in a time trial in 1993.

USTA/Mark Hall photo

Warrawee Needy won his Haughton elimination in 1:46.4, which tied the mark for the sport’s fastest race mile.

Warrawee Needy was in fifth place at the halfway point in his Haughton elim, but overcame Golden Receiver — who led the field to the half in :52.3 — by 1-1/4 lengths for the win. In the Gold Cup, Warrawee Needy was seventh at the half, but stormed home in :25.4 to beat Camaes Fellow by three-quarters of a length.

In his last four starts, Warrawee Needy has been fifth, seventh, tenth and tenth at the half-mile point. Prior to that, he was fifth or worse at the half only four times in 36 races — and three of those occasions occurred when he was a 2-year-old.

“Everyone knows I like to race aggressively, but with a horse like him — I talked to my dad about it — we had to find a different way to race him,” Jody Jamieson said. “To prove his merit, we had to race him a little bit different. That was to get him on a helmet and get him to come off that helmet.

“It was just an amazing feeling. We did the right thing with him and had some patience and the horse responded.”

Warrawee Needy, who has won 19 of 40 lifetime starts and earned $1.02 million, is the 5-2 morning line favorite in the Haughton, where he will start from post two. Sweet Lou, who won the other elim in 1:48.4 by a neck over Pet Rock, is the 3-1 second choice. Golden Receiver, who won last year’s Haughton, is 7-2.

“I’m just hoping for a quality trip,” Jamieson said. “I’m sure they’re going to be racing. I can’t get over the trip Golden Receiver went (in the elimination); he was just amazing. He’s just a classy warrior. Sweet Lou was great; Foiled Again was right there as usual.

“It’s just an amazing crop of horses. I’m not going to set a plan, I’m just going to react and see what happens. Hopefully I’ll react properly and get our picture taken.”

Warrawee Needy’s change in racing style coincided with drawing several outside post positions. Mark MacDonald drove Warrawee Needy in the first attempt from off the pace, in the TVG Free For All Championship Series event June 1 at the Meadowlands. Starting from post nine, the horse finished eighth.

A week later, Warrawee Needy started from post eight in the Roll With Joe at Tioga Downs and finished sixth. But Jamieson was encouraged by the horse’s three-wide move and strong finish as he made up more than four lengths in the stretch.

Next was the Gold Cup win, where Warrawee Needy won from post nine at Mohawk.

“Mark raced him in the TVG Free For All and (Warrawee Needy) just wasn’t as good, but he needed to learn how to do it,” Jamieson said. “He was great at Tioga, but didn’t get rewarded for it. We go back to Mohawk and when the half flashed up (:55) I really thought I was in trouble.

“But he really impressed me. I love the horse.”

Jamieson was even more impressed after his record-equaling 1:46.4 win last weekend.

“He’s a bit difficult to drive in certain situations, but (in the elimination) with the fast fractions he was really two fingers,” Jamieson said. “When he’s like that, he just has so much more energy in the stretch. He showed it.

“The world (race) record; it’s really unbelievable. I was just a kid from Canada who grew up wishing to be a harness driver and to be part of a great horse like this, and the great horses my name has been attached to, has been amazing.”

Following is the field for the William R. Haughton Memorial with listed drivers and trainers: 1. Hugadragon, Jim Morrill, Jr., Ron Burke; 2. Warrawee Needy, Jody Jamieson, Carl Jamieson; 3. Sweet Lou, Yannick Gingras, Burke; 4. Razzle Dazzle, John Campbell, Mark Silva; 5. Golden Receiver, Corey Callahan, Mark Harder; 6. Foiled Again, Ron Pierce, Burke; 7. Bolt The Duer, Mark MacDonald, Peter Foley; 8. Aracache Hanover, George Brennan, Gregg McNair; 9. Pet Rock, David Miller, Virgil Morgan, Jr.; 10. Up The Credit, Tim Tetrick, Carl Jamieson.