From the impossible comes the incredible!

It’s almost 65 years since my first writing about harness racing appeared in The Horseman and Fair World.

That’s 65 years of witnessing the great, the not-so-great, the incredible, the not-so-incredible, the expected and the unexpected accomplishments of our great breed.

From Su Mac Lad winning on August 22, 1959, in a $3,000 AA-A Class Trot for driver-trainer John Peat to the handsome chestnut Midnite Hardy…from the grand mare Glad Rags to Buck Minniear’s Yankee Madam…they didn’t have to be great-great to be a favorite of mine.

I loved them all and appreciated their heart and soul put forth every time they went back of the starting gate.

Having called a few thoroughbred races along the way, as well, I have always appreciated the great Kelso from back in the 1960’s and many others that followed in his hoof prints.

Back, maybe, 15 years ago or so, I witnessed a trotting gelding by the name of Hitchhiker (Tulane) competing at Cal-Expo and, this one night, the track was very sloppy with Hitchhiker competing in a California Sires Stake event.

Away in good order in the garden spot, Hitchhiker made a quarter move to the top and then promptly “jumped it off” on the backside giving up around 20 lengths before regaining his composure as another horse (with a very long name) inherited the lead. Just short of the third station, Hitchhiker was beginning to reach his best stride but still some 15 lengths out of it

The announcer at that time, Scott Ehrlich, realized that Hitchhiker was in full gear and in deep stretch he said, unbelievably, “Hitchhiker’s got him!”

HITCHHIKER COMEBACK REPLAY

It was an epic recovery and saved a lot of punters from bridge-jumping as part of a 2 to 5 entry, if I recall.

Fast forward a few years and switching breeds a bit, a thoroughbred named Calidoscopio, aged 10, was competing in the Brooklyn Handicap at Belmont Park in New York.

The Brooklyn Handicap has a history of going back to 1887 with that event dominated by four and five-year-olds with only one horse as old as nine having won that event…and that was back in 1917! Only three others were seven years old when they took home the Brooklyn Handicap crown.

On this day, though, Calidoscopio, so far out of contention—maybe 30 lengths or more—put on the rally of all rallies and won.

The announcers were saying he was in another “area code!”

CALIDOSCOPIO COMEBACK REPLAY

Calidoscopio wasn’t even in view of some cameras as the race progressed and, when he was, his image was merely a very small smudge, as were the others as the cameras were trying to cover the entire field.

To say that was amazing is an understatement.

Fast forward again to last Saturday night at Woodbine.

The $1,000,000 (Canadian Funds) Mohawk Million, the richest race for two-year-olds regardless of gait, was for juvenile trotters and yet the impossible, first, turned into the improbable and then, unlikely, before becoming unbelievable reality as T C I (Cantab Hall), after losing his composure as the wings folded, snatched victory from the jaws of defeat.

Some 15 lengths out of it after the miscue at the back of a very talented field, T C I was back to business and beginning to grind forward though still more than 10 lengths away halfway through the mile.

Still last among the eight remaining contenders turning for home, T C I fanned widest of all “near Rexdale Blvd.” and still had a :27 closing kick to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

T C I COMEBACK REPLAY

In a post-race interview, driver David Miller was surprised by the early miscue lamenting, “Yes, I was very surprised when he went off stride. He had never made a break before. He seemed to be fighting the bit but, at the same time, I was very surprised—pleasantly surprised—that he caught back trotting so fast, as well.

“When he straightened away, he was widest of all and had plenty of racetrack ahead of him and he got there.

“He’s quite talented and very versatile. He has shown he can leave; he can brush and his :27 final quarter in this event was quite remarkable.”

T C I, trained by Ron Burke for the Burke Stables, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services and Weaver Bruscemi, now is 9-for-10 this year with earnings of $1,047,470 to go along with a 1:54.1 mark.

Turning the page to the human spectrum, the unbelievable Lady J—Jackie Ingrassia—continues to amaze everyone.

Now a “young” 76 years-of-age, the Ipswich Suffolk, Great Britain native came to the U.S.A. in over a half century ago, learned the trade from Anthony Abbatiello before joining the stable of Frank Ingrassia in 1975 and the pair have been a “daily double” since 1975.

With 1,181 career driving wins, Lady J is about to pierce the $7,000,000 in purse earnings and is still very relevant in the sulky, as evidenced just days ago when she guided her two-year-old Green Zone (Greenshoe) to a win from the outside eight post at odds of 101 to 1. (I can’t imagine ANY Greenshoe going off at 99 to 1 on the tote board!)

GREEN ZONE REPLAY

The filly is owned by Jackie along with the Arden Homestead Stable.

By the way, Green Zone is trained by Frank Ingrassia…who is a young 90 year-of-age.

Yes, the impossible, the incredible and horses like T C I and folks like Jackie and Frank Ingrassia help make our sport so great…and, for me, so great over the past 65 years!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink