by James Platz

As a writer that covers harness racing regularly, I have always taken note of the appreciation connections have for a good horse. I suppose it’s easy to be happy when an owner or trainer finishes a race in the winner’s circle. But it’s more than that. If you have been in the business for any extended period of time, you understand the difficulty in not only having a good horse, but then having racing luck on your side.

When I joined the First Turn Stable at Harrah’s Hoosier Park, in the back of my mind I questioned whether the experience would be authentic. What would it be like from week to week? After this experience is complete, could I relate in a deeper way to what owners face daily? While my commitment to join was only $250, would I feel as committed as those who have invested so much more? Could I appreciate the difficulty in finding or developing a good horse?

Since my last entry in early July, the rollercoaster ride has continued. The ride has been less about exhilaration and more regular allotments of cold hard racing reality. As a quick recap, our horse, sophomore pacer Fast Feet, turned in consistent efforts in the month of June, including a win. However, he got off on the wrong foot in July. Specifically, he lost a shoe early in his July 3 start and finished last.

The night Fast Feet lost the shoe was the first time he had missed a check for First Turn Stable. Racing in the non-winners of one to be claimed for $16,000 ($24,000 with allowances) class at Hoosier Park, the son of Freaky Feet Pete continued to struggle. Two weeks later he was back in again, this time finishing in a dead-heat for fourth. He closed out the month with back-to-back sixth-place efforts. With no racing luck to be found, this is where the reality of the situation required a change.

Just before noon on Aug. 2, less than two days removed from the last start, an email was sent to all First Turn Stable members. Titled “First Turn update on Fast Feet,” the message laid out the plans going forward with Fast Feet, or rather, the plan to proceed without him. As Jacob Rheinheimer, Hoosier Park’s race marketing manager, explained, the decision was made in collaboration with trainer Patrizio Ancora and Rick Moore, the track’s vice president and general manager of racing, to sell the sophomore and look for another horse to buy.

“We felt collectively that following Fast Feet’s victory last month, the step up in the class ladder ‘Feet’ has faced has been a bit too steep for him to comfortably take on at this time,” Rheinheimer outlined in the email.

And there you have it. It was obvious that Fast Feet was struggling to move forward in the class. Unfortunately, Hoosier Park does not offer conditions where he might fit in better and prove more competitive. That’s reality. Had this not been a Hoosier Park-backed stable, perhaps Fast Feet could have been shipped to a trainer in another state to compete in a place more suitable to his ability. We didn’t have that option.

So, we cut our losses. Fast Feet was listed on the auction site onGait.com. When the auction closed at 11 a.m. on Saturday (Aug. 10), the 3-year-old pacer brought $11,600. It was a disappointing conclusion to Fast Feet’s time in the First Turn Stable. It would have been a great story to see him climb the ladder at Hoosier Park. Unfortunately, he wasn’t cut out for the current condition sheet structure.

Closing one chapter, the focus shifted to finding another horse for the stable and beginning anew. Just over three weeks after Fast Feet made his final start for the stable, First Turn claimed 7-year-old Sweet Truth on Saturday night (Aug. 24) for a $12,500 tag. The son of Sweet Lou—Rose Ruthless finished second in that contest for trainer Ronnie Roberts, a half-length behind winner Dirty Image in a time of 1:52. In the email announcing the purchase, Ancora and his wife, Rebecca Uppal-Ancora, expressed their enthusiasm for Sweet Truth’s addition to the barn.

“We’re very excited about this claim,” they said. “We thought he raced great tonight, he’s very consistent and we’re looking forward to the opportunity to train Sweet Truth!”

The older pacer is a 14-time winner. He has fared well at Hoosier Park in the past, taking his 1:51 career best over the Anderson oval in 2023. Sweet Truth has earned in excess of $185,000 over the course of 145 career starts. This season he has already banked $19,146, hitting the board in six of 17 attempts and earning checks in seven of his last eight trips behind the starting gate. By the time Sweet Truth makes his debut for First Turn Stable three months will have passed since participants last visited the winner’s circle. We’re hoping Sweet Truth is the horse that will get us back there for another photo and celebration. I can’t speak for the group, but I know how much I’ll cherish the next opportunity. And I’ll have a greater appreciation for the blessings of a good horse.