The average price for a yearling at the 2020 Harrisburg Sale was $38,215. Adare Castle (Muscle Mass) was a $10,000 purchase for harness racing trainer Mark Etsell and his fellow owners. That $10,000 yearling has turned into the best horse Etsell has ever trained.Ā
āEverybody just feels fortunate that we have this filly,ā said Etsell. āYou canāt order them this way. They donāt come along often, if ever. We feel very blessed with it, and we appreciate it. Itās probably the only one weāll have like her, and we are enjoying the ride.ā
After a sensational two-year-old season where she won 7 times in 9 starts, the filly with over $750,000 in earnings for Etsell and co-owners Robert Newton, Graham Hopkins, and Peter Porter, has come back at three without missing a step. Her record is 4-1-0 through five starts in her sophomore campaign.
āThe biggest reason for her strong comeback is we never over raced her at two,ā said Etsell. āWe kept it pretty minimal.ā
Thatās about to change as stakes season kicks into full swing across Ontario, with two more Ontario Sires Stakes Gold legs, the OSS Super Final, Simcoe, Casual Breeze, and Elegant Image stakes on the horizon for Etsellās star pupil.
āWhen theyāre racing every week, their schedule gets changed. Itās not as much work, and a little bit more paddock time,ā said Etsell. āThe biggest thing when we hit the busy schedule will be to keep her happy and not overwork her.ā
Etsell has had success with trotting fillies before, his most prolific being Blossom Seelster, who made over $370,000 in 74 starts along with Fleur Collins, winner of a Champlain division in 1992, and Scent of a Woman who won a Peaceful Way division in 1994.
Of his three most successful female trotters, only Blossom Seelster went on to race in the Breeders Crown, something that might on Adare Castleās calendar if she continues her winning ways into October when harness racingās championships come north of the 49th parallel to Woodbine Mohawk Park.Ā
She is not already staked to the race, and would have to be supplemented, but it has been discussed by Etsell and his partners.Ā
āWhen that comes around, we can make that decision a week ahead if sheās healthy and racing good,ā said Etsell. āSheās got enough money made so if we need to throw some at that, we can.ā
But there is a lot more racing for the prodigious filly between now and the end of October when the Hambletonian Societyās event rolls into town.Ā
Her next start is planned for August 15 at Grand River Raceway in an OSS Gold leg where she will be hard done by to top her performance from 2021 when she set a track record of 1:57.1 for two-year-old trotting fillies in a Gold winning performance.
One thing you can be sure of is that her owners will be in the stands cheering her on and soaking in the ride of being part of such an amazing filly.
āTheyāre having a ball. They donāt miss many races,ā said Etsell. āThey realize that these are once in a lifetime things. You donāt plan on grabbing one of these horses every year.ā
For current OSS Standings for Three-Year-Old Trotting Fillies, click here.
From the Ontario Sires Stakes