by John Pawlak, the U.S. Trotting Association

Columbus, OH — Cowboyland Aalborg, TLP Stable, J&T Silva Stables and Deo Volente Farms’ Wishing Stone has been touring Europe for much of the past two years, and as a result the winner of the 2010 Kentucky Futurity has been “off the radar” and seeming off form for quite some time.

USTA/Ken Weingartner photo

Wishing Stone and Yannick Gingras were the winners in the Maxie Lee.

The winner of $2 million lifetime, however, burst back into prominence during May in the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial and Maxie Lee Memorial, and as a result was named Horse of the Month by the U.S. Trotting Association.

Wishing Stone (Conway Hall-Meadowbranch Magic) won a Cutler Memorial elimination on May 11 in 1:52 by finding room deep in the stretch.

While a very close, dead heat second to Sevruga in the Cutler final seemed to be a small step backwards, Wishing Stone and driver Yannick Gingras teamed to win their next start, the $250,000 Maxie Lee Memorial.

In the Lee, Gingras put Wishing Stone on the lead and raced to a 1:52 victory — a stakes record and a mile that matched Harrah’s Philadelphia’s all-age track trotting record held by Likeabatoutahell (2010) and Anders Bluestone (2012).

The win in the Maxie Lee Memorial was the first stakes win in North America for Wishing Stone since the Matron Stakes in late 2010 and served notice that the return to North America of this native of Kentucky certainly strengthens the ranks of older trotters in North America.