These Three Things: Uhtred

Get to know the harness racing equine stars of Woodbine and Woodbine Mohawk Park, as we go beyond the chart lines and stat sheets to deliver three fascinating facts about a horse who will look to make their mark in 2022.

This week, Uhtred steps into the spotlight, with trainer Carmen Auciello providing a trifecta of interesting facts about the Preferred pacing star.

Uhtred
Age: 5
Sire: Art Major
Dam: Seaside Rory
Record: 30 starts 11-9-4
Earnings: $293,762

Trainer: Carmen Auciello
Owners: Earl Hill Jr., and Stephen Klunowski
Breeder: Stephen Dey

Need to know: Won his first Woodbine Mohawk Park start, on March 20, 2021, and has never finished lower than fifth in his career

A change for the better: “He used to be really aggressive on the track. He was too hot. So, as a three-year-old, when we first qualified him, every driver would come off and tell us, ‘If you can get this horse to relax, he’ll be an Open horse and he’ll go in [1] :48.’ He was really good at three, but he still wasn’t doing it right. He’d win on the front, but he wouldn’t relax in the hole. He was a little bit too rambunctious and too aggressive. As he’s gotten older, he’s really matured. He’s learned all about his job and he goes when you want him to go now. If you want to bring him from off the pace, and have him relax at the start, he’ll do that too. He’s the perfect racehorse.”

‘Pin’ your hopes: “He’s feisty. If you looked at him, you’d think he’s a sour horse. He likes to pin his ears back and he acts all tough, but he’d never hurt a fly. I find that’s an Art Major thing. We’ve had a few over the years where when you look at them, they pin their ears back, but when you go near them, all they want to do is cuddle and get that attention.”

Ready to roll: “One quirk he has is that whenever you put the race bike on, it’s like you are putting it on for the first time. He seems surprised by it. When you jog him or when you’re coming back from the winner’s circle, a lot of times he’ll try to take off before you are in the bike. When you’re walking beside him, he’ll find a way to see you from his blinkers, and he wants to take off. There have been a few times when he almost got away from us. He also gets very mouthy, so to speak, before he heads out for a race. He’ll try to lick or chew on something, always using his mouth. And once you get him ready, he wants to get out there and compete.”

by Chris Lomon, for Woodbine Communications