by David Mattia, USTA Web Newsroom Senior Correspondent

New Brunswick, NJ — Raymond “Tom” Paver is widely recognized in harness circles as being an extraordinarily consistent and talented driver/trainer on the Ohio and Pennsylvania circuits. To date, horses he has driven have earned $17,541,892 and those he has trained have earned $4,083,872.

One horse who might be partially responsible for pushing those numbers up a bit is a trotting mare named Whotookwhat. A quick glance at her past performances will show that she seems to be as equally consistent and talented as Tom Paver.

Tom Paver has had a lot of luck with the trotting mare Whotookwhat.

“I guess she’s been a nice mare from the word go,” said Paver. “She always had that ambition to win. Even on her bad days she still races well.”

Paver isn’t overstating the facts here because in 96 lifetime starts, this hard-hitting mare has 40 wins, 16 seconds and 14 thirds, and it makes us wonder just how many “bad days” this 6-year-old has had — if any.

William and Barbara Paull of Powell, Ohio own this bay daughter of Inquirer–Overtookthem, and to date she has earned $415,244.

Overtookthem is an outstanding broodmare and Whotookwhat is just one of her claims to fame. To date she is the dam of nine registered foals, seven of racing age, and thus far her foals have accounted for earnings of $1,107,086. Her 1999 foal, Put Them On Hold, a gelding by Call Toll Free, has earnings of $435,910 and took his mark of 1:54.2f as an 8-year-old. Her 1998 foal, Took The Call, another gelding by Call Toll Free, took his mark of 1:59.3h when he was 7 and earned $143,884. If the family tradition continues, Whotookwhat’s best days just might lie ahead of her.

Whotookwhat began her career at Scioto Downs as a 2-year-old for trainer/driver James Dailey. After qualifying four times, she made her pari-mutuel debut a winning won when she took a $20,000 Ohio Sire Stake event in 2:04.2. She finished her freshman season for Dailey with nine wins in 10 starts and earned $127,486.

After Dailey, Whotookwhat spent ten months in Virgil Morgan’s barn, but on July 28, 2006, she was handed over to Paver and she’s been abiding her winning ways ever since.

“I’ve had horses for the Paulls before,” recalled Paver. “They wanted to race her over here at The Meadows because they write a fillies and mares open trot. I was asked to take her and I did.

USTA photos

Whotookwhat has found her way to the winner’s circle in 41.7 percent of her starts.

“She’s kind of temperamental, but she’s gotten a lot better lately. Used to be when you went to hook her you needed three people to hook her or she’d throw herself. She’s a big strong mare and she’s still a bit moody so the outrider Missy Morris helps me a lot. After she wins a race the outrider has to take her over for the picture because she won’t stand there at all.”

While Paver describes the mare as being temperamental, it should be duly noted that in 56 starts for Paver, Whotookwhat has made only one break and that was an eight-hole miscue on a sloppy track.

“That break was kind of my fault,” said Paver. “She had a lot of go to her that night and I was coming three deep, but I guess I was just coming with her a little too quick.”

They say you can’t have everything, but Whotookwhat seems to come pretty close. Word around the track is that the mare is not only beautiful, she’s flawlessly gaited and always eager to grapple with any horse the race secretary can throw at her.

“My wife Kelly just thinks she’s gorgeous,” said Paver. “Kelly takes care of her and she’s in love with her. She’s the best trotter I have right now. Well, I can’t say she’s the best horse I have because all my horses are really good or the best in their classes.”

When asked if he had any plans of taking Whotookwhat to a bigger venue, Paver was quick to dismiss any such move.

“I’m going to keep her here at The Meadows for as long as she’s going well,” said Paver. “The owners like to come and watch her when she races so I have no plans to take her anywhere else. As long as she stays on top of her game the owners are going to race her. I know they’ve turned down offers to sell her as a broodmare, but as of now there are no plans for that.”

Whotookwhat’s sire, Inquirer 3,1:58.3f ($109,000) is a son of Valley Victory from the Royal Prestige mare, Decent Exposure. His winningest offspring to date is Dink Adoo 7,1:53 ($704,071). Inquirer now stands in Italy for La Quercia Verde SRL. Inquirer stood most of his career at Success Acres in Ohio, but in 2006 he bred 28 mares as a New York stallion.

Overall, this feisty mare with a heart to match has lived up to what at first might appear to be an obscure pedigree — it is anything but. In the accomplished hands of Tom Paver and his wife Kelly, there is no telling how far this mare will go.

In her last start at The Meadows (March 20) she won an Open event handily for Paver in 1:57.1. Her next start isn’t far off and we’re sure the racing fans in Western Pennsylvania are eagerly awaiting it.