by David Mattia, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

New Brunswick, NJ — Badlands Nitro is a horse who likes to win big, and from time to time, through the stretch run, the track cameramen have had to pan back quite a bit to frame the horses left in this speedster’s widening wake.

Badlands Nitro equaled the 17-year-old world record held by Artsplace when he won his Matron elimination in 1:51.1.

Last Saturday night (November 3), Badlands Nitro ran off by 13-1/2 lengths in his $37,825 elimination of the Matron Stakes at Dover Downs, for trainer George Teague and his young driver, Wayne Long. The time of the mile was 1:51.1, equaling the world record for a freshman pacing colt on a five-eighths-mile track set back in 1990 by the great Artsplace in winning the Breeders Crown at Pompano Park.

“He’s an all-around good, solid horse and he drives like a Cadillac,” said Long. “George (Teague) is a great trainer to drive for and that makes it easier. He doesn’t put any pressure on you. He pretty much doesn’t tell you what to do or not do and the times I won with the colt by open lengths he did it on his own. He just keeps digging in.”

Wayne Long, 24, a resident of Felton, Del., is enjoying the best year of his young driving career. In 2007 he’s won 89 of his 823 starts, with his mounts earning more than $539,000. An ample portion of this year’s achievements have been gathered sitting behind Badlands Nitro.

A quick glance at Long’s stats since 2000 show that he’s been gradually gaining bigger numbers, and moving up as a powerful driving talent on the Delaware and Maryland circuits, but his drive on Badlands Nitro came about somewhat serendipitously.

“I got the drive on Badlands Nitro one morning when George had four in to qualify, and he asked me if I’d jump up and drive him. I’ve been driving him ever since that qualifier and he’s by far the best horse I’ve ever driven.

“I was already having a really good year,” said Long, “but ever since I qualified this horse for George Teague, everything just seemed to take off for me.”

Badlands Nitro is Delaware sired and Maryland foaled, a son of Badlands Hanover from the Artsplace mare Pleasant Thoughts. His breeder, John Celii of Chads Ford, Pa., and Teague Inc. of Harrington, Del., own him, and he’s been steered in each of his starts by Long. He’s lost only one of his seven career starts and that was in the $122,170 Smullin Memorial at Rosecroft where he finished a strong closing second.

“I had the eight hole and I tried to give him a two hole trip,” recalls Long. “ I left and got the pocket behind a horse who didn’t carry me to the passing lane. I lost some ground and I got out late, but the colt was digging in right to the wire.”

Badlands Nitro has been a first rate horse from day one. His first qualifier was on July 25 at Rosecroft. He easily overtook his opposition in that race and drew away by 3-1/2 lengths in 1:57, with a :27.4 last panel.

“I knew he was something special after the qualifier and he was pretty impressive in his first pari-mutuel start,” said Long. “He won out of the eight hole in 1:54.1 and he came home in :27.3.”

The first start Long spoke about was a $29,100 Maryland Standardbred Race Fund event at Rosecroft, but it was a week later in another division of the Race Fund where Badlands Nitro lived up to his explosive sounding name. He won the race by 12-1/2 lengths in 1:54.2.

Foto Won photos

Driver Wayne Long was impressed with Badlands Nitro’s 1:53.4 win at Harrington on October 10.

“He really opened up in there, but the thing that impressed me the most was when he won at Harrington in 1:53.4 (on October 10 in a Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund elimination). That was a really big mile.”

Long, who also trains a small stable, had previously been unsure of Badlands Hanover as a stallion.

“I was a little skeptical about Badlands Hanover, but now that I’ve driven Badlands Nitro I have a different opinion. I love Badlands Hanover,” said Long with a chuckle.

Badlands Hanover p,2,1:50z ($754,772) is a bay son of Western Hanover, and to date, he has sired horses that have earned $12,011,257. Among his top speed performers are Mr Aviator p,3,1:49.1 ($332,224) and Benear p,4,1:49.3f ($182,787). He stands at Winbak Farm of Delaware, and in 2006 he sired the winners of 32 Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund events.

If Badlands Nitro continues at his current pace, so to speak, it’s not hard to imagine him moving up and emerging as Badlands Hanover’s finest performer.

“Badlands Nitro is a lot like his sire,” said Long. “He’s got that white star with a strip going on and a couple of white stockings. He looks like a lot of the Badlands Hanover colts — except he might be better than most.”

Wayne Long is looking forward to Saturday night’s Matron final with confidence.

“He’s got the two hole,” said Long, “and with a little bit of luck we’ll all be standing in the winner’s circle.”

The story of Badlands Nitro is a story of two emerging stars. Wayne Long is a young driver on the rise, and the colt is proving himself to be a top-notch athlete.

The field in Saturday’s $266,950 Matron looks like it’s going to be a very interesting race and it lines up thusly. 1. Meant To Be Me (Ron Pierce); 2. Badlands Nitro (Wayne Long); 3. First Rate (Tony Morgan); 4. Artic Stretch (Brian Sears); 5. Arterosa (Corey Callahan); 6. My Wagons Dragon (Yannick Gingras); 7. Dragoon K (Tim Tetrick); and 8. Dontloseyourdayjob (George Brennan).