The ‘poor man’s horse’ on a rich run

Pride of ownership is not nearly as commonplace as it should be in horse racing. But don’t tell John Pentland that.

Saturday night, at Woodbine Mohawk Park, he will be front and centre to see if Powerful Chris can win her $225,000 Ontario Sires Stake Super Final. This is the big night for Ontario racing as it showcases its very best with eight finals and Pentland sees no reason it should not be a great night for his pacing filly.

“I can’t see how she will get beaten but I thought that in her last start too when she finished second after a poor drive. I hate saying it, but that was what happened,” says Pentland, who operates a stable from Dorchester Downs near London, Ont. “This is the second best horse I ever developed and raced after Luck of Michelle. I still think she was one of the greatest two-year-old fillies ever.”

Luck Of Michelle was a brilliant two-year-old back in 2006 when she won $690,000, set a world record for two-year-old pacing fillies on a half-mile track and was subsequently named Canada’s Two Year Old Pacing Filly of the Year.

And Pentland has had others including To Helen Back and Jans Luck who both earned more than $1 million so the man knows of what he speaks.

Luck of Michelle was a bit of a Cinderella story having been purchased as a yearling for just $20,000. Pentland went one better here with Powerful Chris was snared for a very modest $12,000 at the London Selected Sale.

“There were three things that led me to buy her starting with her having a fantastic video that showed her in full flight in a paddock. It was clear she loved every moment of performing,” says Pentland.

“She is a daughter of the sire Betterthancheddar who I had a bit of time for. He did not race at two because of a throat infection and driver Mark MacDonald told me that year that this horse was better than anything else trainer Casie Coleman had. That always stuck in my head. Finally, when I examined her she stood correct and while her mother was not a big time horse she is a half-sister to Sir Luck who was a top twoyear-old and won over $1 million.”

Pentland also admitted he knew going into the auction she would be affordable.

“I didn’t have much to spend and did not have any partners. She was a poor man’s horse and that suited me fine — there was no buyer regret after the sale that I’d made a mistake. But she was a gangly medium-sized horse at that point and obviously not too many people agreed with me.”

He proved to be right as she was the talk of the town after her first start in July. She won very impressively and the suitors began to line up.

“There were a bunch of inquiries and finally one that was very substantial. I asked for an hour to think about it and in that time called our driver Bob McClure who had said he knew some people that also were interested. But he said that his grandfather wanted to buy a quarter of her at that price,” says Pentland.

“Then I contacted Jack Darling more as a sounding board on what was going on. I trained a few for him during the winter when he goes to Florida and he listened and then said he’d take a quarter. So I was able to sell 50 per cent ownership and keep the rest which suited me just fine.”

So going into tonight’s affair Powerful Chris has banked just under $120,000 with four wins and three seconds in eight starts. A victory tonight would be worth $112,500 and regardless, this will be her final race of the season.

“I am very optimistic about her prospects as a three-year-old. Luck of Michelle did not carry on like we had hoped as a threeyear-old because her size held her back. That is not the case with Powerful Chris who has become a big, strong filly who has had almost no veterinary work. That speaks well for the future.”

It is clear in speaking with Pentland he has enormous pride in what the filly has accomplished and may yet accomplish. Not bad at all for a poor man’s horse.