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Grand harness racing campaigner and Group 1 winner Texican is likely to join the illustrious 1-million dollar earner club in quick time with the Bettor’s Delight gelding currently only $20,000 away from reaching the milestone.
The USA based pacer, who is now the ripe old age of 12, continues to be a factor on the track winning as recently as last week at Freehold Raceway in New Jersey. The win continues what has been a true success story for the Australasian export market and continues to advocate for how the North American racing scene can benefit from tapping into proven down-under performers.
Texican started his career racing out of the Cran Dalgety stables in Canterbury, New Zealand and quickly made an impression achieving a maiden victory in just his second start while racing at Addington raceway on the 8th of April 2011. This was quickly followed by a slashing runner-up performance as a 2yr old in the NZ Yearling Sales Series Final at listed level in behind the Mark Purdon and Grant Payne trained Western Cullen.
After a spell away from the track Texican returned later that year and spent little time before returning to top form, form that culminated in what was most probably his crowning glory on New Zealand soil with a 1/2 length victory in the Sires Stakes 3yo Final of 2011 at Addington when driven by Dexter Dunn (another New-Zealand export who has found the North American racing scene to his liking). To watch the replay of this win click on this link.
Other New Zealand based successes followed in his next two seasons with a Group 3 placing in the Vero Flying Stakes and a Group 2 victory in the Alabar Southern Supremacy Final of 2012. His overall NZ race record standing at 13 wins from 31 starts and more than $280’000 in earnings.
Upon export to North America Texican has become a proven big-race performer. His North American highlight-reel includes a number of notable Open Handicap wins. Under the guidance of trainer Peter Tritton Texican raced in the famous Levy Series at Yonkers Raceway for three concecutive years 2014, 2015 and 2015 with his most notable performance running third in the 2016 Final worth $609, 000 to stablemate Bit Of A legend. Here is that race;
Behind Texican that day were P H Supercam ($1,731,000), Take It Back Terry ($1,539,828), Lucan Hanover ($1,263,289) and Mach It So ($2,921,549).
A bit of “Texican magic” is available at the upcoming 2020 National Standardbred Yearling Sale to be held at Karaka on the 16th and 17th of February. Lot 51, an American Ideal filly named Debbie Do, is out of Toast To Cullen.
Toast To Cullen has herself left a noted globe-trotting pacer in the form of Kenrick who had 4 wins while racing in New Zealand, a listed classic win to his name in Australia and a plethora of wins (not to mention a 1.50.1-best time over the mile distance) state-side with his overall earnings topping the $220’000 mark.
Toast To Cullen can be connected to Texican through her dam Toast Of New York ,who herself is the grand-dam of the soon to be (fingers crossed ) millionaire. A toast to Texican awaits!!!
Ben McMillan
