Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Jate Daniels Heads Up $88,000 American National

July 20, 2005

No matter what happens with two-year-old colt pacer Jate Daniels in Saturday’s $88,000 American-National at Balmoral Park, co-owner Judith Lunsford will consider it a gift. Jate Daniels, who was bred by Lunsford and her husband, Henry, is the last registered foal out of dam Midori, who died while giving birth in April. Her foal also died.

"It was just an unfortunate event for everything," Lunsford said. "There are a lot of things that happen in the horse business that are just like what happen in life. It would be a great story if Jate could capture something like this. But no matter what happens, Midori left us something pretty nice."

The Lunsfords bought Midori in 2002 on the recommendation of friend Dan Shetler. The couple has a 114-acre farm in Burgin, Kentucky, where they concentrate on breaking and training down young horses for clients. One of the colts with which they worked was Jate Lobell, Jate Daniels’ sire, which is how they got connected with trainer-driver Mark O’Mara, who guided Jate Lobell to division honors in 1986 and 1987.

Jate Daniels, driven by O’Mara and trained by Henry Lunsford, finished second to Nifty Fellow in 1:53.3 in the American-National elims on July 16. Intendto’s Majesty was third followed by Roll Bar Hanover and Winbak Bini. Favorite Joe To Go failed to advance to the final, finishing seventh. In the second elim, Winslow Gambler won in 1:53.4, followed by Ab’s Beach Boy, Keystone Resident, Life Guard On Duty and Jandj Art.

"It’s real exciting," said Judith Lunsford, who owns Jate Daniels with Shirley LeVin of Schaumburg, Illinois. "If he keeps improving, we’ll be OK. We’ve been taking him along slow because he’s a little bit of a late foal. I don’t want to think we can go in there and win, but if the breaks go right, if we draw a nice position, that’s what will be most important."

Jate Daniels has raced four times this year, with his second-place finish in his American-National elim being his best finish. Henry Lunsford won a division of the 1973 American-National for two-year-old male pacers with Timely Objection.

"He’s the most nice-mannered colt to be around," Lunsford said. "He’s very relaxed in everything he’s done. He’s not studdy at all. We thought he was too good to be true. As good mannered as he is, we thought if he had speed that he would be the whole package."