Manitoba Great Western winner draws into Western Canada Pacing Derby eliminations

Eliminations for the Western Canada Pacing Derby are on the docket for this Saturday at Century Mile, and the top three-year-old harness racers in the region will all try their best to make it into the finals.

One of the entrants, Handsome Dan (State Treasurer), comes into the elimination at 10-1 morning line, but he is looking to shock everyone and not only make it through to the finals but put up a fight in there as well.

The three-year-old gelding is a home-grown talent of Fred and Alice Gilbert, and just about a month ago, Handsome Dan gave the long-time horse family their first win in a very prestigious race that has always eluded them.

Fred and Alice’s names can officially be added to the Manitoba Great Western history books. Handsome Dan won convincingly over the rest of the field and captured a special moment for the Gilbert’s.

“We’ve won most of the big races in western Canada,” said Fred Gilbert. “But this one was extra special because we hadn’t won it before. It was a thrill. We haven’t had a horse Manitoban br-ed or good enough to enter. (Handsome) Dan had a lull in Alberta before, and we brought him to Manitoba to Trevor Williams.”

Williams only had Handsome Dan in his career for three races at the Loop but captured two wins and a second-place finish in that time. His second place came against the Open class horses at the Loop, and he only lost by a head to the seven-year-old veteran, Tagoras (El Toro).

The result of the big race itself came as no surprise to Gilbert as everything went according to plan. With the uncertainty of what the rest of the field would want to do, the plan was for Handsome Dan to take the early lead. Once he got to the front, he was untouchable.

“He had much more experience than the rest of the field,” Gilbert said. “He did draw badly by getting the six-hole. We drew it up exactly how it played out. Blake (Piwniuk) drove him great. He’d never been on a half-mile track before, so there were some nerves about that, but all the brainstorming between all of us paid off.”

HANDSOME DAN REPLAY

Before coming home to Manitoba, Handsome Dan was racing in big-time three-year-old stakes in Alberta. He finished third in the Moore’s Mile Breeders’ Stake behind two of the top three-year-olds in Alberta right now, Virtual Horizon (Vertical Horizon) and General Custard (Custard The Dragon).

The next major race was the Ralph Klein Memorial Final, and this time, he finished fourth, again behind Virtual Horizon, General Custard and Over The Horizon (Vertical Horizon).

Although winning in the stake races hasn’t come yet, he is competing and keeping up with the bigger names in Alberta. Handsome Dan has made 17 starts in 2023 and has visited the winner’s circle on four occasions. Two wins have come at the Loop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, while the other two came in Alberta. One was a 1:53.2 mile at Track On 2, and the other was a 1:54.4 mile at Century Downs.

Gilbert believes the success has come from managing Handsome Dan and other horses differently this year. He has been staggering appearances and racing Handsome Dan when he needs to.

“We’ve managed our horses differently this year,” Gilbert said. “We’ve managed Dan well and have been saving him for all the big races, so we have been only racing them a couple times a month. We’re trying to keep him fresh because he is such a great horse.”

It seems always to be the same culprits that stand in the way of Handsome Dan, but he is always in the mix. He will line up against General Custard and Over The Horizon in the first elimination on Saturday (Oct. 14), but Gilbert believes his colt still has a good chance.

“I think he is one of the top horses in Western Canada.” Gilbert added, “He’s really healthy and never had lame issues. He just such a good horse.”

Fellow Manitoba-bred Phillip Giesbrecht will accompany Handsome Dan. Giesbrecht is sitting at precisely 500 driving starts in 2023, heading into the weekend. He has picked up 85 wins and $765,341 in earnings this year. Giesbrecht had his best statistical year in 2022 but is on his way to matching it this time around. He will need more big-time wins, and getting Handsome Dan into the finals would be a great start.

From the very beginning, there has been something special about Handsome Dan, in both looks and in talent. He got his name from a keen observer, which has continued to fit his character.

“When he was born, the vet texted Alice that he was the most handsome colt they had ever seen,” Gilbert added. “He looked more like he was two weeks old rather than just a day old.”

Handsome Dan will line up with the black saddle clothe with a big number five on his side on Saturday during Century Mile’s eighth race. He enters the race with 10-1 morning line odds and one of the “longshots,” according to the odds maker. However, you can’t quantify the power that comes when a whole province is behind a horse. Handsome Dan will look to continue his great year and writing history as he searches to become a rare Manitoba-bred to lineup in the Western Canada Pacing Derby Final.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Trey Colbeck, for Harnesslink