Bythemissal never better heading into Pacing Derby

After a spring and summer of turn taking on the best of the North American harness racing’s aged pacer ranks, it looks like recent returnee Bythemissal (Downbytheseaside) is ready to take a stranglehold on the division.

Winner of the Little Brown Jug, Adios and Milstein at three, the $1.4 million earner had his four-year-old season interrupted when he took sick following an elimination win in the Juravinski Memorial at Flamboro Downs.

Consider his four starts since returning from that bout of sickness. Start one is a toss because he got parked the mile in the William Haughton Memorial and stuck behind a stopping Abuckabett Hanover who tried an unsuccessful backstretch brush to the front. Still, pacing a 1:48 flat mile parked the mile and losing by only three lengths was a sign that Bythemissal’s comeback had been launched and the best was yet to come.

Fast forward to the $130,000 Sam McKee Memorial on Hambletonian day for a glimpse of this four-year-old gelding’s true ability to create sustained speed. Coming in off a preparatory qualifier, Bythemissal drew widest in post nine, but that factor would be negated impressively.

Regular pilot Yannick Gingras set off for the front leaving the gate but two rivals to his inside, Tattoo Artist and Workin Ona Mystery, had the same plan. Gingras settled Bythemissal into third just past the quarter as Tattoo Artist set a strong pace on the lead. They stayed that way until Gingras launched Bythemissal to the outside approaching the three-quarter pole and Tattoo Artist would have no answer for that onslaught.

Bythemissal, deploying a wicked 53.0 back half brush, sprinted clear to win his division of the McKee in a new life’s mark of 1:47.1

Next up was the $100,000 Myron Charna President’s Pace at Northfield Park. For the second start in a row, drawing widest would be no issue for Bythemissal. Sent off as the lowest favorite possible at five cents to the dollar, he was floated out by Gingras and dropped in fourth early as Risenshine Seaside set the early pace as directed by driver Ronnie Wrenn Jr.

But Gingras pulled the trigger before the half and cleared with Bythemissal just past that station being reached in 53.3. From there it was all him and he coasted in by four lengths in 1:48.2, just missing the track record by 1/5 of a second.

Bythemissal’s most crushing win of 2023 came this past Saturday at Woodbine Mohawk Park in his elimination for the Canadian Pacing Derby where he again used a 53.0 back half to demolish his rivals by a widening eight lengths in 1:47.3 as the 3 to 5 favorite, leaving Allywag Hanover, winner of the other division of the McKee Memorial, and others in his wake. This sets up another meeting with Tattoo Artist in this Saturday’s final, who also impressed winning his elimination, flying home in 25.2 to nail Linedrive Hanover on the wire.

Tattoo Artist’s time was a full second slower than dominant Bythemissal, who will again surely go off as a big favorite based on recent performances in the Pacing Derby final this Saturday night.

So, what’s next for this razor-sharp gelding who may be carving a path to a year-end Dan Patch Award for top aged male pacer? Mark Weaver, whose Weaver Bruscemi LLC co-owns Bythemissal in partnership with the gelding’s trainer Ron Burke (and partners Eric Good and Rich Lombardo Racing LLC), indicates that nothing is off the table.

“He’s pretty much eligible to everything,” he said. “We’ll just play it week to week but ideally, he’ll dance most of the dances since he’s pretty fresh. He got very sick late in the spring, and we weren’t sure he would race again this year. It’s amazing how far he’s come the last six weeks. He might be in career form.”

Clearly, Bythemissal has never been better, when you consider that he paced the four fastest miles of his life since returning to action in the McKee on July 15th. That could be bad news for his rivals as the racing season paces on.

by Garnet Barnsdale, for Harnesslink