Baillargeon’s Alarm Detector is on for the Hambletonian
One interesting little tidbit of harness racing trivia is that a Quebec trainer has never won the Hambletonian. Ben Baillargeon hopes to change that in August.
Alarm Detector is the best horse he has ever had, and the smart money says he should be the winterbook favourite to win the game’s most prestigious prize.
A native Quebecer, Baillargeon moved to Ontario in 2000 after the racing game fell apart in that province and he relocated to Guelph. He bases out of Ideal Training Centre just north of Rockwood. For the last 14 years, his stable has never won less than $1 million.
Aside from a resume marked by consistency, he is regarded as a great mechanic with horses troubled by gait issues. While the breed has improved by leaps and bounds in the last 20 years, some horses still struggle with their stride. Ben has shown to be a man who understands what makes it all work.
But gait has never been a problem for Alarm Detector.
The horse was purchased in November 2016 as a yearling for $110,000. Baillargeon put together a partnership which included St. Catharines construction magnate Tom Rankin and his wife Elizabeth, Claude Hamil of Quebec, and Santo Vena of Brampton. The exercise paid off last year to the tune of $276,000 from just seven starts, six of them victories.
That resulted in honours as Canadian Two Year Old Colt Trotter of the Year, but that does not hold a great deal of meaning for Baillargeon. The storied Hambletonian is his goal, and he believes everything is on track to have that become a reality.
Baillargeon loves Alarm Detector’s competitive attitude and last year’s performances, particularly in the $400,000 William Wellwood when he ran away from the field in a glitzy 1:52.4, speaks to his talent. But he has never raced anywhere other than Mohawk Racetrack, and the Hambletonian will take him to The Meadowlands in New Jersey.
However, it will be no walkover for Alarm Detector as there were a number of quality juveniles last year capable of making a bigger jump by summer. The Hambletonian has been proven over time that it very much is a case of the winner being the best horse on the day. It involves two heats, which is not the norm in today’s racing. And having a horse to race at its peak on a given day is anything but easy.
But to the victor go the spoils. In addition to the $1-million prize, a victory on the resume of Alarm Detector would be an automatic ticket to the breeding shed and more than likely a lucrative stallion syndication deal. With his bloodlines, the horse would be very appealing as a sire prospect.
The final thoughts come from Baillargeon.
“I just love this horse and I’m really looking forward to the Hambletonian. I like everything about him. Now he just has to do it.”