Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Odds On Racing's

Trainer of the Month
for February 2010

Dan Ater

Dan Ater has been involved in harness racing for over 40 years as a trainer/driver. He has won leading driving titles at Lebanon Raceway, Scioto Downs, Northfield Park and Balmoral Park. Ater, a native and resident of Clarksburg, Ohio, has trained 1,003 winners to $5,070,459 to date in his career, which is now in its fifth decade.

Ater and his wife, Jacky, reside in Clarksburg, Ohio. He has four children, Kyle--who also participates as a driver, Nick, MacKenzie and Daniel.

Dan Ater

Besides being a full time trainer-drive, Ater is a director of the Ohio Harness Horsemen’s Association, has been a Deerfield Township Trustee for 12 years, and is a member of the Ohio Farm Bureau.

As the harness racing communicty in Ater's native state of Ohio continues to face economic hardships, Ater was forced to race much of his stock outside of the Buckeye State in 2009. He recently that he was considering selling the farm that's been in his family for three generations. His son, Kyle, a leading driver at Scioto, represents a fourth generation.
Cruzin Ina Jammys

                 Cruzin Inya Jammys--2008 Ohio 3-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the Year

"I want to stay home," Ater said. "Here I am up in Canada paying their blacksmith, paying their tack shops, paying their people to work for you -- it doesn't seem right. There's nothing I'd rather do than stay home and support our economy."

Ater has spent the last three winters training his horses in Hawkinsville, which is located 45 miles south of Macon.

“People say there’s nothing to do Hawkinsville; I tell them you ought to live in Clarksburg,” Ater said with a laugh. “It works for me. It’s just a nice quiet place to be. I enjoy it there. I’ve met some good people include Western Resolve, Firm Belief, Capital Request, Strikin Bug, Tiger Tinch and Master Pine and 2008 three-Year-Old Filly Pacer of the year Cruzin Inya Jammys.

However, in 2009, Ater conditioned the 3-year-old pacing colt Mystique Cruiser into one of the top Ohio-breds that season for the partnership of Green Racing Inc., (Josh Green) of Milford, DE and Larry Baron of Horsham, PA.  The sophomore son of Yankee Cruiser earned $128,340 last season, posting a 7-2-4 record from 17 starts.

A $25,000 yearling purchase from the 2007 Ohio Selected Jug Sale, Mystique Cruiser was handed over to Ater that fall and went on to earn $10,218 in 2008, with a 1-2-0 record from six starts, and a 1:56.3 freshman mark.

"Josh and Larry picked him out at the sale and they asked me to train him," Ater said. "He was a nice 2-year-old but had a little trouble getting around the half, because he hit his knees a little. We knew he had a lot of speed, but we wanted to do what was best for him at two and we were more concerned about developing him, rather than racing him hard as a freshman."

Bred by Dan Considine of Lexington, KY, Mystique Cruiser is the first foal out of the unraced Shady Character mare Miss Deeds, and has the pedigree to be a fast horse. His second dam, Mystique Margie, is a 1:54.3-winning daughter by Jate Lobell, who took a mark of 1:51.2 and earned over $2.2 million lifetime. Shady Character took a 3-year-old record of 1:51.1 en route to a $1.2 million earning career, while his sire, Falcon Seelster, took a sophomore mark of 1:51h and was also a $1+ million earner. Mystique Cruiser’s sire Yankee Cruiser has a mark of p,3,1:49.3s and his sire Artiscape, a p,3,1:49.3z record. Both stallions earned over $1 million during their careers.

Mystique Cruiser and driver Kyle Ater

Seeing potential in his youngster, Ater opted to quit with Mystique Cruiser after the gelding’s fourth-place finish in the $34,388 Ohio Breeders Championship at Delaware on Sept. 27, 2008.

"We kept him at Lexington and got him ready to go to Canada in the Spring, and he just kept getting a better and better," Ater explained. "He qualified at Scioto in late April, and from there, shipped to Canada."

Mystique Cruiser raced well in his Canadian starts, garnering a trio of third-place finishes and a 1:53 victory on June 8 at Mohawk in an overnight event before returning to the States for Ohio Sire Stake competition in late June. He finished third for Ater’s son Kyle on June 27 in a $16,000 OSS test at Northfield, pacing in 1:54.4.

He then returned to Canada, where he took his career mark of 1:50.3 with North America’s leading driver at the lines, Jody Jamieson, on July 13 in a $19,780 conditioned pace at Mohawk. Fresh off that victory, he vied at Scioto in a $16,000 OSS, winning handily by four and ¼ lengths in 1:52.4 with Kyle back in the sulky on July 18.

"He always raced very game, and very consistent," Ater explained. "He’s a good horse to be around, and seemed to thrive on racing."

Mystique Cruiser won both his $9,200 elimination and the $50,596 Signature Series Final at Flamboro Downs, the latter in 1:52.3 by three and ¾ lengths, again, paired with Jamieson.

"When he won the signature series at Flamboro, that was an excellent race because the top 3-year-olds in North America raced that same day (in the Confederation Cup) and went the same time as our race did," Ater explained. "That was his most impressive race of the year in my opinion."

Mystique Cruiser returned to his home turf and wrapped up his sophomore year by capturing both the $80,000 OSS Final at Northfield on Sept. 5 in front-stepping fashion in 1:53.1, and the $25,317 Ohio Breeders Championship on Sept. 24 at Delaware in 1:54—with son Kyle in the irons.

"After Delaware, we decided he’d done enough and turned him out," Ater explained "He’ll spend the winter at Hawkinsville, Georgia and come back in March. He’s been jogging now for two months and is ready to go on. The owners want to race him in Canada in 2010 because he did so well up there at three."