The Great Reset: Track Record 1:55.3!
Since I can remember I’ve always been a big fan of chestnuts in horse racing… It likely goes back to my Uncle Ed’s mare Natascha Beauty - a 1980 foal of Newport Robbi-Natascha-Altas Mite. She was a beauty alright and I spent a lot of time with her around the track and in the field. Now she never became a superstar, as she only raced 19 times - taking a mark of 2:06.2 as a six-year-old, but she was the only race horse in my family and she was the first horse I ever sat behind - alongside her then-trainer Dale Sobey - while she was getting her early lessons around Summerside Raceway. She was my superstar back in the day!
Here we are some 40 years later and The Great Reset, with a striking resemblance to old ‘Beauty’ (white blaze and all), has just become the fastest trotter that I’ve ever had the pleasure of calling on a half-mile track - right here in London…
It’s a very warm and sunny Tuesday evening in London… Our racing team is amped up with Camluck Classic Night fast approaching on May 31st - we’re just days away now and after battling a bad cold for weeks - I feel I’ve got my pipes back for calling races… The Race 1 post parade features some very nice trotters and wow - does The Great Reset catch my eye on the upper turn… Driver Jason Ryan has his hands full and this chestnut appears very sharp - I’ve actually never seen him look so good and with that warm sun beaming down on him - he is just a thing of beauty!
They’re moving in behind the gate - Hot Fudge Sundae makes a rare break in behind, but he’s back down trotting and with them leaving. The Great Reset launches for the early lead - with race favourite Marvin Hagler getting away second. They are stepping pretty good on the backside - enroute to the quarter and ‘The Hagler’ pocket-pulls to take command through a bullet 27.3 opening frame. The half comes up in 57.3 and the front two continue to be Marvin Hagler - with The Great Reset RIGHT THERE with him. They’re on the backside - final time - and they’re going some again with three-quarters in 1:26.4…
At this point I start flipping through the program pages - back to the front to see where we’re at for track records on the trot and notice - we’ve got a shot… They make the swing, for home, with Marvin Hagler still leading and now The Great Reset takes his best shot with a move to the outside…
“It’s Marvin Hagler clinging to the lead… The Great Reset on the outside wants it… The Great Reset and Jason Ryan reaching up - TRACK RECORD 1:55.3 - that just happened!”
And that was it - the fastest mile ever trotted in the history of The Raceway at Western Fair District goes to the handsome chestnut The Great Reset - owned and bred by Chantal Ruijs - sharing ownership with trainer Lorne House. Caretaker Angela Clark was all smiles in the winner’s circle - right next to the teletimer that read 1:55.3… And what a drive by Jason Ryan - who was just returning, to the bike, after being involved in a spill last week. Trainer House is still sidelined from the sulky, but is hoping for a return to action soon.
“It’s horses like him and times like this - that make it all worth it,” mentioned House the following day. “He’s just a nice horse to train, drive and look after… Such a kind soul, yet he had some of that killer instinct in him last night. We’re hoping he can repeat on Camluck Night!”
Well done all around - congratulations on the big win folks!
Track Announcer
Sugar Doyle
The Raceway at WFD