Expensive Scooter - 2CP
When the first hot summer days of June roll around, the harness community begins to surreptitiously scan the results of "baby" races held at racetracks across the country. Like anxious parents sending their children off to kindergarten, trainers, owners, drivers, breeders, agents, sales company owners and yes, even astute handicappers and casual racing fans peruse the charts, each hoping to find something different. The superstars of tomorrow emerge from every corner of North America, matching up for lucrative purses while still literally learning their paces.
As each big race comes and goes, many colts enjoy a brief turn in the spotlight. So it was in 1993, as early fall turned the trees surrounding Freehold Raceway, host to the four freshman and sophomore pacing events. The Woodrow WIison winner, Magical Mike, skipped the event, as the rangy colt had trouble with the half-mile turns at Freehold. A gangly, long-gaited son of Nihilator, Historic was blazingly fast, but astounding clumsy, and his owner skipped many of the major stakes in favor of more willing pupils when writing sustaining payment checks early in the spring. Falcon's Future, a shockingly speedy son of Falcon Seelster, was also lightly-staked and would be forced to sit out the definitive contest for juveniles.
There were no fewer than nine contenders who wished to stake their claim on divisional honors, a diverse group all boasting an assemblage of accomplishments. The all-encompassing Bill Robinson stable held the line with just two starters in their attempt to win a Breeders Crown, one of the few stakes the stable had not acquired during their record-setting $1 O million year. Expensive Scooter emerged as the fastest two-year-old in Canadian history when he took the Kindergarten Stakes Final at Greenwood Raceway, and had amassed the most earnings in the tieldwith$385,745. Yet he had been beaten here at Freehold, by Cam's Card Shark, in a stunning wire-to-wire grab of the Lou Babic Memorial. With John Campbell aboard Cam's Card Shark, he was an immediate threat to Expensive Scooter, and his stablemate, Sable Matters.
From western Pennsylvania came Roger Hammer with one of Max Hempt's super-charged homebreds, Keystone Luther. Keystone Luther had not been worse than second to date, and was the fastest of the youngsters entered, by virtue of 1 :52.2 mile recorded in Lexington. Another invader, Rayson Hanover, owned by Stormhaven LPII, a large and enthusiastic group from Columbus, Ohio, entered the race with high hopes after a 1 :53 score. also at The Red Mile.
Jack Moiseyev literally grew up at Freehold Raceway, and could drive around the oval with eyes closed, if necessary. More importantly, he seems to know how other drivers and horses will behave when racing at Freehold-a kind of strategic insight that has helped him lead the driver standings at the half-mile arena year after year. When a vicious battle front end battle developed a few steps out of the gate, he smartly rethought his decision to venture after the lead with Expensive Scooter, and slipped into a spot out of the first turn. When Rayson Hanover broke at the start, this left Scootin Yankee forcing a surprised Witty Dragon and Bill Fahy to lead at the quarter, in an illogical :26.3. Roger Hammer, not discouraged by that lightning first fraction, pulled Keystone Luther and dashed for the front. He took them by the half in :55.3. Moiseyev, sitting fourth with Expensive Scooter, saw his chance and seized it. He knew the pace had wrung the resistance out of the top three colts and easily grabbed the lead, and the race, away from the field. Once clear by the three-quarters in 1 :24.3, Moiseyev opened up ground, knowing the short stretch at Freehold would give him the cushion he needed. Expensive Scooter was able to ease up with a 29.4 last quarter, assuring a five-length. 1 :54.3 victory.
His stablemate, Peter Heffering's Sable Matters, prevailed by a neck over Cam's Card Shark for the place spot. Cam's Card Shark, Jeff Snyder's Babic winner, was bothered at the start, but recovered nicely to take show honors.
The win was a first in Crown competition for Moiseyev, and fitting that it came at his home track at Freehold, where the announcer often calls out "Jackie Mo, that's all you gotta know ... ". Three generations of Moiseyevs converged on the winners circle. The 1-2 finish by his stable also snapped Bill Robinson's Schneid in Breeders Crown events. In an ironic twist revealed by time, Cam's Card Shark would be moved to the Robinson Stable over the winter, and by September of '94 would break the all-time single season earnings mark.
It was a sweet triumph for Marvin Katz and Sam Goldband, not only brothers-in-law but longtime business partners as well. Katz had seen a video of Expensive Scooter as a yearling, and was intrigued by his presence. Though he and Gold band have owned many fine trotters, they splurged on Expensive Scooter, plunking down $105,000 for the son of Direct Scooter. By year's end their return was sixfold, as the freshman banked more than $670,000. He did not win divisional honors, however, as Magical Mike's triumph in the Governor's Cup gave him the advantage in the voting.
Expensive Scooter is only the second offspring of Direct Scooter to win a Crown title. The first was Matt's Scooter, over the very same racing strip some five years earlier. Rose Guida, who is always in the high end of the Crown owner stats, made her move into the leading breeder column. as she bred Expensive Scooter and Gleam, winner of the freshman filly Crown trot later in the month.
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