Wilder wins 5,000th as Teagan scores upset in Meadows trot
December 11, 2009,by Evan Pattak, for The Meadows
Washington, PA — Dismissed in the wagering at 11-1, Teagan stepped up her game to upset a distinguished field on Friday (Dec. 11) in The Meadows’ $27,500 Preferred Handicap Trot. The win gave driver Mike Wilder the 5,000th victory of his career. The Meadows Mike Wilder, joined by his wife, Heather, and their daughters, Scarlett and Lauren, recive recognition from Kim Hankins of the Meadows Standardbred Owners’ Association The win was the fourth on the card for Wilder and capped a phenomenal fortnight that saw him win 26 races over 10 cards. “It was surprising to a few people, including me,” Wilder said. “I can’t even come up with a reason for how it all happened; every time I looked at the tote board, I was 26-1, 34-1, 15-1. It was the same group of horses I’ve had all along, but the trainers really had them ready and in the right spots. “One person who wasn’t surprised was my wife, Heather. She said, ‘You can do it, you’re a competitor. Just focus and do it.'” A native of Springfield, Ohio, William Mike Wilder, 37, developed an interest in horses through his stepfather, David Ritter, who trained Standardbreds at the Shelby County Fairgrounds. Wilder was a phenomenon at Lebanon Raceway, where he won 13 driving titles, and he captured two driving championships at Scioto Downs before moving his tack to The Meadows in 2001. Among his important stake victories are the Hopefulette (Tap Hanover, 2001), the Breeders Filly Pace (Tap Hanover, 2002), the Pink Bonnet (Heather’s Western, 2002), the Jug Preview (Twenty Six Black, 2001; Santastic’s Pan, 2004), the Currier & Ives (Sand Vic, 2004), the Currier & Ives Filly Division (To Be Mz America, 2002), the Cleveland Classic (Michael’s Western, 2002), the Adios (Ready Cash, 2001, elimination), as well as multiple splits in the W.N. Reynolds Memorial and the Tompkins-Geers. One of the first congratulatory messages to reach him was a voicemail from his father-in-law, Dan Altmeyer, who trains many of the stakes horses Wilder drives. “He said, ‘I’ve never seen such determination. Please save some of that for next summer.'” Indeed, Wilder said his approach to his career has become more family oriented, particularly since he now drives horses for Heather, a Standardbred trainer since late 2008. “I was gung-ho, driver crazy,” he said. “I’m still very competitive on the track, or I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did this past two weeks. But I see racing as more of a family thing now. “It’s great that Heather’s horses have contributed to those 5,000 wins. I enjoy having her at the barn and going trips with her. I can see us having a stable in the future and enjoying more of the training aspect together. It’s a lot of fun having her there, although I feel more pressure driving for her than I do for anyone else.” Teagan had been earning checks in the Preferred but seemed up against it facing competitors sporting more than $2.6 million in collective earnings. When Wilder sent her to the front and worked out a comfortable first half in :59.2, she thwarted the first-over thrust of Whotookwhat and drew off to win in 1:56.2, equaling her career best. 
Steve Bush trains Teagan, a 5-year-old daughter of S J’s Photo-Chip’s Favorite, for Bill and Maureen Kirwan.
The Friday card included other surprises, several of them quite gratifying. Among them:
The Meadows Racetrack & Casino and the Meadows Standardbed Owners Association donated their commissions from the fifth race to the Lebanon Horsemen’s Relief Fund. That event was scheduled. The surprise: Fran Azur, who earlier Friday was named the winner of the sport’s 2009 LeeAnn Pooler Unsung Hero Award, announced that he would match the contributions of The Meadows and MSOA.
Prior to the card, Steiner Stock Farm and Acadia Farms disclosed that their fine trotting mare, Motherland, would be retired following her race Friday and sent to the court of Muscle Hill. Motherland performed like a champion for trainer/driver Marty Wollam, winning for only the second time this year and concluding her career with $172,635 in earnings and a mark of 1:55.4f.
Dandy’s King, a $12,000 claimer who had lost his two most recent outings by a combined 28-1/2 lengths, poured through the Lightning Lane to blow up the tote board at odds of 106-1 for Eric Ledford and trainer Jim Ferguson. Dandy’s King returned $215.60 to win.