Just say: "Somebeachsomewhere" and hundreds of people show up.
Monday, this Beach was at Mohawk Raceway near Campbellville, Ont.. He's a Maritime-owned standardbred horse that quite easily could shift the sands of the sport, and become perhaps one of the greatest pacers in history.
Monday, he started out a little bit like Dan Patch, who attracted crowds everywhere he went early last century and is now the subject of a Seabiscuit-like book. Somebeachsomewhere showed up at Mohawk to show his wares in a qualifying race, a race that has neither prize money or wagering but is harness racing's tool to ensure horses are of a certain standard before they race.
Somebeachsomewhere is obviously of a rare standard. He attracted more than 150 people, about three times the normal number, won his qualifying race by 10 3/4 lengths and sped the mile in 1:51 1/5, without drawing a sweat.
The 3-year-old colt hasn't raced since last year, when he won the $1-million Metro Pace at Mohawk, and was chosen top 2-year-old pacing colt in both Canada and the United States - and he shared honours as Canada's Horse of the Year last season, too.
Hall of Fame driver Ron Waples has compared him to Niatross, harness racing's version of Secretariat.
Somebeachsomewhere spent the winter in Nova Scotia, where his owners are based. A group of friends in Nova Scotia and New Brunswick scraped together $40,000 (U.S.) to buy him in the United States two years ago, and now he remains undefeated, their one-horse stable the envy of the continent. He's trained this year by part-owner and car dealer Brent MacGrath, who said yesterday: "He wouldn't blow a candle out after he came back into the barn.
"He has a great set of lungs and he was very strong at the end of the mile this morning.''
Somebeachsomewhere set a world record of 1:49 3/5 when he won the Metro Pace.
He's the best horse ever to come out of the Maritimes and he's galvanized the public there.
And he's about to start doing the same thing in Ontario and the rest of North America. His first start will come May 17 at Mohawk and he'll race the next four consecutive weeks, leading up to the $1.5-million North America Cup in June. He vanquished North America Cup contender Legacy N Diamonds in the qualifying race, barging home the last half mile in 54 4/5 seconds - and he's just beginning.
You can't miss Somebeachsomewhere. He's a giant of a horse. And he has one more asset: he has Mohawk-Woodbine Paul MacDonell as a driver. MacDonell, who drove him on Monday, has been known for upturning apple carts, winning Breeders' Crown races with longshots. But this year, it looks as if everybody else will be chasing him.
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