Ken Weingartner’s Hambletonian Notebook: Winner’s Bet & Ghostly Casper

After taking the long way home from post 10 in his Hambletonian Stakes elimination last week, Winner’s Bet (Walner-Side Bet Hanover) will attempt to cash in on a more advantageous starting spot in Saturday’s (Aug. 5) $1 million final at The Meadowlands.

Winner’s Bet, driven by Dexter Dunn, raced uncovered on the outside for the entire mile in his elimination but secured a spot in the final of harness racing’s premier event for 3-year-old trotters thanks to his fourth-place finish. The time for his last quarter-mile, :27.1, was bettered by only two horses in Saturday’s final.

In the final, Winner’s Bet will start from post four and is the 4-1 third choice on the morning line behind 2-1 favorite Celebrity Bambino and 7-2 Oh Well.

“We knew post 10 was not great, but the horse was great,” said trainer Domenico Cecere, who trains Winner’s Bet for owners Lindy Farms of Connecticut and Robert Rudolph. “Dexter drove him perfect. We are very pleased with how he raced. That was a mile. It was his third start and for sure it tightened him up.

“Dexter and (Winner’s Bet) have built great confidence. Now we just need a little bit of luck. We are going to keep dreaming.”

Winner’s Bet has won two of his three races this season, which have all been at The Meadowlands. He won a division of the W.N. Reynolds Memorial on July 1 and a division of the Stanley Dancer Memorial in a career-best 1:51 on July 15.

Cecere worked on getting Winner’s Bet to relax during the buildup to this season, which has paid dividends.

“He sat out there nicely (in the elim) and I could kind of control his speed,” Dunn said. “We just rode out there quietly and then he dug in really well at the finish. It was a big run from him. I couldn’t be happier with him.”

Winner’s Bet, last year’s William Wellwood Memorial champ, has won five of 13 career races and hit the board an additional four times.

“He’s got a beautiful big stride,” Dunn said. “He covers the ground good. He’s a fast horse. Getting him to relax this year is a big thing. He’s definitely come a long way.”

Ben Baillargeon gets the feeling that if it weren’t for bad luck, Ghostly Casper (Resolve) might not have any luck at all.

Ghostly Casper will start Saturday’s $1 million Hambletonian from post nine after overcoming a troubled trip in his elimination. A breaking horse interfered with the colt in the first turn, and he was still eight-lengths off the lead in eighth place with a quarter-mile to go before storming home in :27 to finish fourth. He was beaten by only three-quarters of a length by elim winner Point Of Perfect.

“He was right there at the wire, and he came a long way,” said Baillargeon, who trains and owns Ghostly Casper with Teresa Davidson and Santo & Nunzio Vena. “He had all the reason to quit. The thing with him is that he never quits.”

Ghostly Casper was winless last year but finished second six times and third three times on his way to $165,782 in purses. This season, he has four top-three finishes in eight races, with two wins.

“He’s had bad luck all his life,” Baillargeon said. “He never won last year but made all kinds of money. This year, it’s the same thing. He’s had two or three trips that have been difficult. Again (in his elimination) he got interfered with in the first turn. But he closed a ton of ground. Eventually, he will get his day.”

Baillargeon had Ghostly Casper’s mother, Cool Creek Breeze, who was a multiple Ontario stakes winner. Ghostly Casper was her fifth foal.

“He was the first one I liked,” Baillargeon said. “His mom was a good mare. She only made $200,000 but she was meant to do more. She was a nice, big mare. He’s the first one that looked a little bit like her. I said, I’m going to take you. We bought him privately.”

Now, he is Baillargeon’s second Hambletonian starter. Baillargeon appeared in the 2018 Hambletonian with Alarm Detector, who was fourth in his elimination and sixth in the final.

“I’m real happy,” Baillargeon said. “We’re in (the final). When you’re in, you’re in. The horse last year (Hambletonian winner Cool Papa Bell) won at 50-1. You never know what will happen.”

Racing begins at noon (EDT) Saturday at The Meadowlands. The $1 million Hambletonian is race 12, with a 4:45 p.m. (EDT) post time and will air live on Fox Sports. For free TrackMaster programs for The Meadowlands, click here.

For complete race entries, click here: US Trotting entries.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA