Aussie sensation ready for debut at Big M

Australian-born millionaire Lochinvar Art (Modern Art-Ponder In Paris), who arrived in the U.S. stable of trainer Shane Tritton in October, is set to make his North American harness racing debut Saturday (Feb. 4) at The Meadowlands in a $27,500 conditioned pace.

The 8-year-old stallion, a multiple Group 1 winner and track-record-setter Down Under, will face seven foes and is 5-1 on the morning line.

Lochinvar Art has hit the board in 50 of 56tlifetime starts, winning 28, and earned $1.02 million. He enters Saturday’s race off one qualifier, a 1:52.1 win (with last quarter in :26.3) at The Big M with Tritton’s wife, Lauren, in the sulky. Lauren again will be in the bike for the stallion’s debut.

“We’ve taken it a step at a time to get him used to here and he’s been the perfect horse so far,” Tritton said. “He’s been great. He had some feet issues and a few other little things, but everything has seemed to sort itself out.

“My primary job now is to try to keep the horse healthy and keep everybody grounded until the horse shows what he can do. He obviously is a great horse, and usually great horses are always giving everything. I’m sure he’s ready to get out there and do something, but I just hope we can let him ease into it.”

The Tritton’s enjoyed successful racing careers in Australia before moving to the States in 2020, so they already were familiar with Lochinvar Art prior to his arrival in their stable, but from the perspective of a rival.

“We’ve raced against him, and we know what he’s capable of,” Tritton said about the Team Tritton Inc.-owned pacer. “Every time you work him, every time you do anything with him, you can tell why he’s such a good horse. One thing about him, he can really do anything. I’ve seen him race tougher than you could possibly ask a horse to be, and I’ve seen him come from last and show speed. He’s a very good racehorse.

“He’s well-mannered and you can kind of drive him however you like, which to me is his biggest asset. I think that’s what has taken him this far, and I’m hoping it’s what is going to keep taking him in this country. If he can be versatile, the rest of it can take care of itself.”

If all goes well for Lochinvar Art, also known as “Artie,” he will be pointed toward the MGM Borgata Pacing Series at Yonkers Raceway. The series, which runs for six consecutive weeks, begins on March 20.

“He’s a horse that seems to get better the more he races, and he’s very tough, so that series is probably right up his alley,” Tritton said. “He loves racing, and he gets around a half-mile track good. That’s really been the goal to aim for, and then we’ll know from that exactly how far we can push things moving forward through the year.”

Tritton expects Lochinvar Art to be staked “fairly heavily without going crazy.”

“We’ll have that conversation after Saturday night,” Tritton said. “If he’s going to be at his best, it’s going to be this year. He’s not getting any younger. If he is going to get his opportunity in this country to show what he can do, then this is the year he’s going to do it.”

Down Under horses hold the top-three morning-line spots for Saturday’s race at The Meadowlands. Belmont Royale N is the 3-1 choice followed by Crunch Time A at 7-2 and Burnham Boy N at 4-1.

“It’s exciting times, but this is just the first step,” Tritton said about Lochinvar Art. “Whatever he does, we’ll be happy with it. We’ll learn and hopefully come the Borgata we’ll have him tight and see where that takes us.

“This horse just needs to get used to the racing. Lauren works him every day, she knows him well, so that’s a plus. She’s as good as any driver in the world. It’s a really good asset to have when you’ve got someone sitting in the bike that’s just as invested as you are.”

Racing begins at 6:20 p.m. (EST) at The Meadowlands. Free TrackMaster programs for The Big M can be found here.

For complete race entries, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA