Beachy and Etsell ready for Oaks, Hambo debuts

Vernon Beachy’s goal last week was to see Allegiant (Tactical Landing-Too Good For You) advance from her Hambletonian Oaks harness racing elimination to reach Saturday’s $525,000 final at The Meadowlands.

Following the 3-year-old filly trotter’s victory in her elim in a career-best 1:51.4, the trainer’s hope for this week is to enjoy the experience.

Beachy and Mark Etsell, who trains Hambletonian Stakes finalist Highland Kismet, will be starting horses for the first time in harness racing’s premier races for 3-year-old trotters. The remaining 11 trainers with horses in either the Hambletonian Oaks, for sophomore female trotters, or Hambletonian, open to any 3-year-old trotter, have appeared in at least one of those races previously.

“This is something that every kid dreams about, and you never think it’s going to happen,” said the 36-year-old Beachy, who is training a stable of 10 horses. “But we’re here. I’ve got to thank (owner) Ryan Smith. It’s been a great ride.

“Hopefully, we can enjoy it. Sometimes when the expectations start climbing, the joy of it is less. Hopefully, we’ll come back and do good in the final.”

Allegiant, driven by Scott Zeron, won her Oaks elimination by four lengths over French Champagne. She will start Saturday’s final from post four and is 3-1 on the morning line, the third choice behind fellow elimination winners Elista Hanover at 9-5 and R Melina at 5-2.

“This didn’t surprise me; I knew this was in her,” Beachy said. “We’ve been trying to prep her for the bigger races. We’ve been trying to set her up for this. So, I was expecting Scotty to drive her a lot more aggressively than he has. In some of her other races, it just didn’t work out; it seemed like we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. But it wasn’t a big deal. This is more important.”

Allegiant has won eight of 17 career races and earned $427,997. She was the fastest 2-year-old female trotter of 2023, with a mark of 1:52.2, when her victories included the early Kentucky Sire Stakes championship at Oak Grove Racing & Gaming.

This year, Allegiant has won the Moni Maker Stakes at Eldorado Scioto Downs and the Currier & Ives Stakes at Hollywood Casino at The Meadows in addition to her Oaks elim.

“She never has a bad day,” Beachy said about Allegiant, who was purchased as a yearling for $50,000 at the 2022 Standardbred Horse Sale. “She’s always happy, loves her job. She’s been a really easy filly to get along with. When you get a filly that loves her job, those kinds can take you far.”

Beachy, who resides in Ohio, grew up in Dover, Del., and began working with harness racing horses in his early teens. He started his own stable in 2011.

“I grew up Amish,” Beachy said. “I got a job when I was about 14 working for Henry Westbrook. I would drive my horse and buggy to the barn, and he started having me jog and train. I learned from him, and then I moved to Saratoga and had a few horses, worked for Andrew Byler for a little bit. He had a bunch of (young horses) so that’s how I got a taste for that.

“I just love buying young horses and watching them go from nothing to something. What that is, you never know. We buy under 10 horses a year. You can dream, but this doesn’t happen often for small guys like us. You have to get lucky.”

Etsell’s trip to the Hambletonian with Highland Kismet (Father Patrick) resulted from a bit of luck as well. Etsell, who received the 2023 O’Brien Award of Horsemanship and was runner-up to Ian Moore for Canada’s 2023 Trainer of the Year Award, was still uncertain about Highland Kismet’s potential when it came time to make stakes payments in February. The horse was unraced at 2 and had difficulty trotting the turns when Etsell got him in January.

“I give full credit to his owner, Mary,” Etsell said, referring to Mary Clark of Highland Thoroughbred Farm, the breeder and owner of Highland Kismet. “She asked me what I wanted to pay him to, and I was kind of, not cheap, but realistic. I said, let’s just pay him to the stuff in Canada and hope we get a racehorse.

“She wanted to pay him to the Hambletonian, and she was the smart one because if I had anything to do with it, he wouldn’t have been eligible,” he continued, with a laugh. “Those payments are steep, especially when you’re not sure what you have.”

Highland Kismet is out of the mare Highland Top Hill, who had a mark of 1:52.4 and finished second to Ariana G in a heat of the Kentucky Filly Futurity in 2017. The family includes Dan Patch Award-winner SJ’s Photo and 2015 Hambletonian fifth-place finisher Jacksons Minion.

“He’s well-bred and a very personable horse,” Etsell said. “He’s just a nice, easygoing horse. He’s not hot, he’s very easy to maintain. We made some shoeing changes and he just started getting better and better.”

Highland Kismet’s career began with three conditioned races, with him winning two and finishing second in the other, when he was 11 lengths back at the opening quarter and came home in :26.2 to miss by a half-length. From there, he won his elimination of the Goodtimes Stakes in 1:54 before capturing the final by 3-1/4 lengths in a career-best 1:51.3, the fastest mile by a 3-year-old trotter in Canada this season.

Last week, Highland Kismet finished fourth in his Hambletonian elimination, two lengths behind winner Karl. Highland Kismet and driver Bob McClure came home in :26.1, the fastest last quarter of any Hambletonian finalist.

“He got stopped up a couple times there with the cover, but once he got clear sailing down the lane, he closed well,” Etsell said.

Highland Kismet will start the Hambletonian from post three and is 5-1 on the morning line, the fourth choice behind Karl at 6-5, T C I at 5-2 and Sig Sauer at 4-1.

“We’ve trained trotters for a long time, and it’s always been a dream to race in the Hambletonian, so it’s super for me,” Etsell said. “Now, at least, we’re in it. You can’t win it if you’re not in it. These are tough horses, but he showed he fit, so I’m happy with that.”

The $1,050,000 Hambletonian will be race 12 with a post time of 4:45 p.m. (EDT) and air nationally on Fox Sports. The companion $525,000 Hambletonian Oaks is race 14 and will go at 6:06 p.m. and air on FS2.

Racing begins at noon. For free program pages, visit The Meadowlands website.

For all the ways to watch on Hambletonian Day, click here.

by Ken Weingartner, for the USTA