Bigger Things Could Be In Store For Sarandon Blue Chip
Casie
Coleman always knew Sarandon Blue Chip possessed sizable talent.
She
just had to wait for the pacing filly to grow into it.
With
Dave Miller in the sulky, Sarandon Blue Chip reeled off an impressive 1:50.1
victory in the $125,000 Miss New
Jersey on Hambletonian Day. The three-year-old
daughter of Western Ideal wheels right back in a $15,000 condition event on
Saturday night at the Meadowlands Racetrack. She will start from post
three in the evening’s tenth race.
Unraced
as a two-year-old, Sarandon Blue Chip was a $92,000 Harrisburg Sale
yearling. Coleman had her eye on the filly well before the auction ring.
“Blue
Chip Farms are very good to the horsemen, and they fly us out to see their
horses before the sales every year, which is a big advantage,” said Coleman
from her BayCairn Training Centre stable in Campbellville ,
Ontario . “I spotted Sarandon
Blue Chip at the farm and absolutely loved her right away. She’s a
sweetheart and couldn’t be bred any better. She was the complete
package.”
Due
to her size, Sarandon Blue Chip needed time to mature, and Coleman was more
than willing to wait.
“She
was a big girl, and training down she didn’t have any soreness issues, yet she
was just too big,” explained Coleman. “So, I was in 2:20 with her, didn’t
want to hurt her, so I stopped and kicked her out into the field. She has
high speed and so much talent, but she’s so big I had to order an extra large
race bike. She’s a monster and hasn’t shown her full potential yet.”
Sarandon
Blue Chip now has three wins and two seconds in eight starts, along with
$159,030 in earnings for Coleman and partner Tom Hill of Lancashire, England.
She has been a shining star in two major events under the Meadowlands
spotlight this summer.
“She
was obviously very good in the New Jersey Sires Stakes Final and in the Miss
New Jersey last week. She was just awesome on Hambletonian Day. She
was coming into that race in great shape, and I was hoping she’d avoid any of
her antics. When she finished second in the Miss New Jersey elimination
the week before I knew she had to be short. We’re stabled at Showplace,
but we trained her on the mile track at Gaitway Farm, and I was extremely happy
coming into the final. The latest break she made at the start [on July
20] wasn’t really here fault. She’s a bit lazy, Andy Miller tried to
chase her off the gate into the first turn, and she got a bit
temperamental. ”
Coleman
admits Saturday’s assignment is an interesting spot for her filly, who faces
the red-hot Mistletoe Shalee winner Major Look.
“I
was going to give her a week off, but her next stake is the Simcoe [September
3] at Mohawk, so I wanted to get her another race and keep her confidence
up. She’s paid into the Valley Forge [August 19] at Harrah’s Philadelphia ,
but simply can’t get around those turns. She’s fine at the Meadowlands,
she’ll love the Red Mile, and she’ll be okay at Woodbine, but I don’t know
about her getting around Mohawk’s last turn.”
Coleman
looks forward to the return of her free for all star Betterthancheddar, who won
the $500,000 Ben Franklin at Pocono Downs on June 30 in 1:48, then held off
Foiled Again by a nose in the $174,735 Des Smith Classic at Rideau Carlton in
1:49.4.
“I
gave Betterthancheddar a scheduled break after winning the Des Smith
Classic. I trained him in 1:56 at Mohawk this week and he was very
good. He’s racing in the Open at Mohawk on Saturday. He’ll get
another week off to prep for the Canadian Pacing Derby [eliminations August
25]. I really want to race him on Jug Day in the Winbak Farm Pace, but it
conflicts with the Bobby Quillen Memorial.
On
August 3, Coleman became the youngest trainer at age 32 to hit the $40 million
mark in career earnings.
“I’ve
been extremely fortunate to find a great staff, and most of my guys have been
with me since I started, so we’re also friends. They do work long hours,
and I do ask a lot of them, yet I do my best to look after them. We spend
a lot of time with each horse keeping them healthy and happy.
“We
also have a lot of stakes horses and I don’t keep many on the cheaper end
anymore. I’m actually trying to scale my numbers back because obviously
quality is better than quantity. This time last year I had around 100
horses and right now I’m at about 55. My staff is great in helping me
keep on top of it, but it got a little too crazy there for awhile.
“The
situation here in Ontario
with regards to the cancellation of the Slots at Racetracks at the end of next
March seems a little bit better from what I read recently. I’m waiting
for a release on what’s going to happen with our great sire stakes
program. There’s a sale coming up in September, and I probably won’t buy
any Ontario-sired horses until I find out what kind of purses are being
offered. I love racing in the Ontario Sires Stakes, and I hope something
positive happens here because this is my home.
“I’m
definitely going to Florida
again next winter to train my two and three-year-olds. I’ve already given
my staff a heads up that we might go straight from there to our New
Jersey operation. We’ve got top horses and owners,
and we need to race where it’s feasible.”