On Saturday night, Randy Waples will attempt to duplicate his
father’s accomplishment when he drives North America Cup champion Thinking Out
Loud in the $600,000 Meadowlands Pace at the Meadowlands Racetrack.
Waples and Thinking Out Loud advanced to the Meadowlands Pace
final with a second-place finish in their elimination despite interference in
the stretch. Heston Blue Chip won the elim in 1:49, finishing a half-length in
front of Thinking Out Loud.
Thinking Out Loud, trained by Hall of Famer Bob McIntosh, will try
to become the ninth pacer in history to win both the North America Cup and
Meadowlands Pace. The most recent was Well Said in 2009.
“To win the Meadowlands Pace would be unbelievable,” said Waples,
who will turn 47 on July 31. “I’ve watched these races since I was a little
kid. I grew up in this business and I was around the horses from day one. I
remember my father winning with Ralph Hanover and he won the North America Cup
with Presidential Ball (in 1993). I wasn’t here for Ralph Hanover, but I was at
Greenwood
“These are special races. They just don’t get any bigger than
these races. Last year I finished second in the Hambletonian and this year I
won the North America Cup and I’m getting to race in the Meadowlands Pace. I
think that’s more what it is with me: Being able to race in these kinds of
races. It’s always great to win them, but you’ve got to go into them with a
clear head and realize there are nine other guys trying to beat you.”
Waples, who lives in Milton ,
Ontario Canada
Thinking Out Loud has won seven of 11 career starts and never been
off the board, earning $860,138 for Robert McIntosh Stables, CSX Stables and Al
McIntosh Holdings.
In the $1.47 million North America Cup, the lightly raced
Ontario-bred son of Ponder stormed home to an 8-1 upset in 1:47.4, equaling the
Canadian record set by Sweet Lou in his Cup elimination the week before. The
win gave Waples and McIntosh their first North America Cup win.
Last weekend, in his first start since the North America Cup,
Thinking Out Loud was in fifth place heading into the stretch before
encountering traffic woes and finishing second to Heston Blue Chip.
“A couple of horses veered out [in the stretch],” Waples said. “It
had nothing to do with Thinking Out Loud; he drove a straight line. My wheel
got hooked, so I had to back off and unhook the wheel, move him out to the
middle of the track and get him going again.
“You get beat half a length with all of that, I’m pretty sure he
would’ve gotten there. He might not have gotten there by much, but I’m pretty
sure he would’ve gotten there. I thought he raced great. I was really happy
with him.”
Waples has driven Thinking Out Loud in all but one of his career
starts. Last season, the colt was limited to four races – winning three –
because of a bone bruise.
“He was very special last year,” Waples said. “He stepped on a
stone and got a bruise on his foot and they couldn’t clear it up, so Bob did
the right thing and shut him right down. It did the horse a world of good. He
was never stressed last year. He came back really strong and is just a really
nice animal.”
Waples knows Thinking Out Loud faces a tough task in the
Meadowlands Pace final, where he will meet up again with six horses from the
North America Cup, including runner-up Time To Roll, world champion Sweet Lou,
Hempt Memorial winner A Rocknroll Dance and Art Rooney Pace champ Pet Rock.
“This year, it seems like they’re all pretty level,” Waples said.
“Sweet Lou is probably the horse to beat; A Rocknroll Dance, Heston Blue Chip
raced great [Saturday]. They’re all there to beat you. But I think I’ve got a
pretty good one.
“He has all the qualities of a really nice horse. He tries really
hard, he’s really good gaited; he just puts his head down and digs. His best
quality is that he comes out of a phenomenal stable. I’m pretty lucky to get to
race in these kinds of races with a nice horse.”
2012 Meadowlands Pace - Saturday, July 14 - Race
11 Probable Post: 10:15 p.m.
PP Horse Driver Trainer Odds
1 A Rocknroll Dance Yannick Gingras Jim Mulinix 4-1
2 Pet Rock Brian Sears Virgil Morgan Jr. 12-1
3 Heston Blue Chip Tim Tetrick Linda Toscano 7-2
4 Sweet Lou Dave Palone Ron Burke 5-2
5 Bolt The Duer Mark MacDonald Peter Foley 6-1
6 Simply Business Ron Pierce Jimmy Takter 15-1
7 Thinking Out Loud Randy Waples Robert McIntosh 5-1
8 State Treasurer David Miller Ian Moore 20-1
9 Time To Roll Andy Miller Jimmy Takter 12-1
10 Allstar Legend Jim Morrill Jr. George Teague Jr. 20-1
Meadowlands Pace To Air On Sirius
The Meadowlands Pace can be heard live on Sirius XM satellite
radio on Saturday night as part of the radio network’s “Saturday Night at the
Races” series.
Dave Johnson, the longtime voice of the Kentucky Derby on ABC,
will bring you the action along with owner-trainer Peter Kleinhans. The
broadcast will kick off at 9:30 and conclude at 11 and can be heard on Sirius
Channel 93 and XM channel 209. The focus will be on the Meadowlands Pace, which
is Race 11, but the Sirius team will also cover the Del Miller live and do
recaps of the two divisions of the Stanley Dancer and the Mistletoe Shalee.
The broadcast of the Meadowlands stakes races are part of an
on-going series of harness broadcasts that will be heard throughout the summer
and fall on Sirius XM and are available to the network's 22 million subscribers.
The series is sponsored by the USTA, the Hambletonian Society, Yonkers Raceway,
the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen's Association and the trio of Jeff
Gural-owned tracks, the Meadowlands, Vernon Downs and Tioga Downs.
