Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Ponder is Haughton Favorite Saturday

July 5, 2005

Ponder has drawn the rail and is the 3-1 morning line favorite in Saturday night's $700,000 William R. Haughton Memorial at the Meadowlands. The Haughton, carded as race seven, shares the spotlight with the third and fifth races, a pair of $50,000 elimination races for the $1 million Meadowlands Pace (final on July 16).

"It's hard to believe how far he has come in just 26 career starts," said Robert McIntosh, 52,who trains and co-owns the four-year-old son of The Panderosa. "He was a good-looking, big yearling, and I was happy we got him for $67,000. The first crop of The Panderosa's was selling high that year. I thought we made a good by that day, and it's turned out to be true. As a two year old, he was a helluva horse and came up lame after his first start at Flamboro Downs. He cracked a back ankle. We gave him time off and brought him back later at three. He went a few good miles, but tailed off some. It was bothering him again. I said that was it. He would get whatever time it was he needed. He's pure racehorse that's for sure, and has come back this year great. He always had high speed. Not too many four-year-olds can do what he's done, mostly against older horses."

In 2005, Ponder has seven wins, eight seconds and one third from 17 starts for earnings of $587,352, lifting his career totals to 10 wins, 10 seconds and two thirds from 26 starts and earnings of $626,395. He scored a neck victory over Art's Chip in the $673,110 Canadian Pacing Derby on June 25 at Mohawk. Seven Canadian Pacing Derby winners have gone on to capture the Haughton. This spring he also won the $217,250 Molson Canadian at Windsor on May 27 and was second to Maltese Artist in the $125,000 Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park on June 11. Ponder, second to Dr No in his Haughton elim last week, will be driven by Jack Moiseyev Jr., who has handled him in his Woodbine and Mohawk starts.

"I'm Jack Moiseyev's biggest supporter," said McIntosh. "He's one of the best big money-drivers out there. It's a very interesting division this year from a fan's standpoint."

Ponder races for McIntosh, the CSX Stables of Liberty Center, Ohio, and John D. Fielding of Toronto, Ontario. McIntosh, a seven-time Canadian Trainer of the Year, was voted into the United States harness racing Hall of Fame in 2002. He has two WR Haughton [run as the Governor Alfred E. Driscoll from 1977 to 1998] trophies to his credit. He won in 1992 with Artsplace and in 1993 with Staying Together. To date, however, the Meadowlands Pace has eluded McIntosh. The best of his three finalists was Allamerican Ingot, who finished third in
2002. This year, he sends out Stonebridge Regal in Saturday night's elims for the Pace.

"He's been great for me this year," McIntosh said of the North America Cup runner-up. "He's sharp right now, real sharp. I qualified him [in 1:50.3] to get him a race over the track before the Meadowlands Pace elims."

Two pivotal stakes for three-year-old trotters will take place on Friday night with the eliminations for the $350,000 Stanley Dancer Trot for colts and geldings and the $350,000 Delvin Miller Memorial for fillies. The $35,000 Dancer elims are scheduled as races two, three and five while the $25,000 Miller elims will occupy races eight nine and 10. Both finals are on Friday, July 15.