Win number nine –and all her wins for that matter—came at
Monticello Raceway and all under the guidance of driver Bruce Aldrich,
Jr. However, it was trainer Bob Lounsbury who decided that Tracys Song
would be a worthwhile purchase.
“She has been a classy hard hitting mare who had won over
$300,000 when she was younger,” Lounsbury said of Tracy Song. “ Even last year
she earned over $20,000 and won in 1:55 (actually 1:55.2) at Dover Downs.
And that she started 41 times in the past two years means she must
be at least race-horse sound so I thought she’d probably be a decent purchase.”
Lounsbury suggested to his patron Nancy Fugere that
Tracys Song is worth taking a chance on especially since there isn’t a whole
lot of money involved in her purchase.
So Fugere, who has had previous success with claimers that
were handled by Lounsbury, took his advice and bought Tracys Song from Kyle
DiBenedetto for ‘four large’.
Once under his tuteledge Lounsbury discovered that Tracys
Song didn’t like the burr headpole that she was previously rigged with. So he
took it off and at a very in appropriate time and place
“Actually that happened the first time Bruce (Aldrich Jr.)
drove her,” Lounsbury explained. “ In the post parade during her first start
for us she (Tracys Song) was acting up badly fighting the burr headpole so
Bruce brought her back to the paddock and we took it off. Admittedly she raced
a bit sideways that day but Bruce kept her fairly straight and she went
on to win in 2:01
“The next time we started her we used a line burr in place
of the burr headpole and took some other rigging off her, too. Since that day
she’s been nothing but a terror in her class.”
Tracys Song romped her way through the Mighty M’s Name
Your Price Claiming Series which made the pacers available for prices from
$4,000 to $6,000, of course with the higher price tags came outside post
position draws.
Still, racing from the outside post positions Aldrich had
always sped Tracys Song to the lead-her recent MO- and she
had not lost a race in the series.
After the series ended she has been racing with a $9,000
price tag ($7500 base plus mare’s allowance). She was in for that amount
again when she won on Monday March 18.
Pondering her next move, Lounsbury is still undecided as to
where -what class- he’ll start Tracys Song next week.
“Currently Monticello’s top claiming price for mares is
$7500 and I’d hate to have to race her against the boys,”
Lounsbury said. “Nancy (Fugere—the mares owner) and I will talk it
over and make a decision.
“ I’d like to keep here her at Monticello and not have to
race her out of town so we have a bit of a dilemma. Not a serious one mind you,
but we’d like to give her a chance to keep her winning streak intact.”
