The 2021 Canadian Horse of the Year and Pepsi North America Cup champ is loving life and racing in the United States.

by Melissa Keith

It’s somewhat ironic that Desperate Man (p, 3, 1:49.3s; $1,144,279) took his lifetime mark at the track that’s proven most elusive over his four-year racing career. It’s the track that defined his early career and 2021 Canadian Horse of the Year season — from his first, winning qualifier to victory in the 2021 Pepsi North America Cup. It’s also the track where he has struggled to reclaim his crown as a 4- and 5-year-old pacer.

Desperate Man’s only 2023 win at Woodbine Mohawk Park came in a June 13 qualifier. So, his owner, Kathy Cecchin, sought out other opportunities for him.

The 2024 MGM Borgata Series at Yonkers Raceway vindicated Cecchin’s decision, despite a stunning upset in Monday’s (April 22) $457,000 final. Desperate Man and driver Matt Kakaley went undefeated in four preliminary legs, only to end up parked first-over against Linedrive Hanover through furious fractions (:26.4, :53.1, 1:21.1). While Linedrive Hanover, driven by Scott Zeron, faded badly in the stretch, Desperate Man fought on. He finished third to winner Hellabalou in the 1:50.2 mile.

Kathy and husband John Cecchin watched Desperate Man’s race from their home in Arthur, ON. 

“I think we were all emotional,” she told HRU Friday (April 26). “We were so worried about him, but absolutely proud. He had every reason to stop, but he did his best. He was a warrior. We were happy with how Matt [Kakaley] approached the race. That’s racing. Sometimes things just don’t work out.”

Kathy trained Desperate Man during his Canadian career, and sent him to U.S. trainer Travis Alexander last September to begin his American campaign. The Shadow Play—Dreamlands Latte gelding won his Yonkers debut Oct. 5, 2023, and worked his way up to the open handicap pace, assembling a strong record of five wins, one loss by a nose (to Covered Bridge), and one show finish (when he bled) in seven starts at the New York half-mile oval.

After the grueling Borgata final, Desperate Man was scheduled for a week of rest and turnout, possibly followed by a week of training back, depending on his readiness.

“If he needs more time, that’s what he gets,” said Kathy. “He’s at Mark Ford’s training center. He had a whole month off when Yonkers shut down before Christmas. He went to Florida for his break. He got the full-body clip and he loved the shedrows. He’s such a gawker; he enjoys looking around at everything.”

Because the 2021 Somebeachsomewhere O’Brien Horse of the Year had previously lived and trained with the Cecchins at their Arthur, ON farm, wintering in Florida was a new experience for him.

“He got to [regularly] train with other horses for the first time,” said Kathy. “He never really had a horse who could go with him. He was training in these big sets, out with six other horses… They were sending videos of Travis, flat in the jogger. We were killing ourselves laughing. [Desperate Man] thought, ‘It’s go time!’ He thought it was a race.”

The gelding nicknamed “Slick” (because at nearly 17 hands high, with a 63.5-inch hopple, he is anything but streamlined and slick) was better off enjoying downtime in the Sunshine State than back in Arthur, ON.

“Last year at Christmas, we had a five-day storm with no hydro,” said Kathy. “We would have to ship him down to Mohawk to train him back… So, it didn’t make logical sense to bring him home.”

She said she thinks the change of scenery also helped Desperate Man improve as a racehorse.

Kathy said: “[Caretaker] Alaina [Alexander] told me, ‘You said he had all this personality, but we didn’t see it for the first three months… He was quiet. Then he went to Florida, and he came out of his shell. He was a wild man. Maybe he needed to see some bigger things in life. He’d been in the same stall his whole life, so maybe he was just bored.’”

The rest of the 2024 season has yet to be mapped out for Desperate Man.

Half-mile tracks are naturally under consideration.

“He loves Yonkers,” said Kathy. “He loved Grand River.”

Desperate Man set the Elora, ON half-mile track’s overall record of 1:50.1 on Aug. 28, 2023, for driver Garrett Rooney.

“Which made us so happy, because we adore Garrett,” Kathy said.

Big horse, big track is a stereotype thoroughly dispelled by Desperate Man.

“You’d think that, physically, he wouldn’t like a half, but Matt [Kakaley] has said in an interview that he’s flawlessly gaited so he can handle the turns and doesn’t interfere with himself,” said the gelding’s Canadian trainer.

What about a return to Mohawk, where Desperate Man recorded three Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS) Gold victories for Trevor Henry in 2020, then followed up with the North America Cup final and the OSS Gold Super Final for 3-year-old male pacers a year later?

Kathy said that as an older pacer, Desperate Man struggled to find the late speed of his earlier campaigns, and the stretch at Mohawk was where it hurt him the most.

“For us, it’s a rock and a hard place. He was absolutely no good at Mohawk,” she said. “He was not happy. We had scoped him multiple times and it never showed he was bleeding, but he just didn’t have the kick that he used to have.”

As a 4-year-old, Desperate Man outperformed expectations in the 2022 Charles Juravinski Memorial at Flamboro Downs, winning his May 15 elimination in 1:50.2 and finishing second to Linedrive Hanover in the June 18 final, both races at double-digit odds. Linedrive Hanover’s 1:49 win in the final remains the fastest-ever mile on a Canadian half-mile track. Desperate Man was individually timed in 1:49.1.

“But then we had to scratch when [Desperate Man] was invited to the Mohawk Gold Cup, because he came up very, very ill after the Juravinski,” said Kathy. “He was off for months.”

With Desperate Man now a “rock star” in New York, Kathy said it was unlikely that Travis would opt to race him at Mohawk.

“He’s going to stay with Travis and Alaina for the foreseeable future,” said Kathy. “We’re hoping he will receive some invites. I’m not backseat driving; what Travis says is best for him is what will happen. He’s not eligible for anything right now. I doubt there would be invites for him at Mohawk [this year], so I don’t know if that’s something we would have to consider… It’s out of your hands.”

Kathy added that she would like Desperate Man to be invited to the Battle of Lake Erie at Northfield Park on June 8, because it’s a race that her husband has always wanted to win. The Gold Cup and Saucer, with Aug. 10 and 12 eliminations culminating in the Aug. 17 final, would be Kathy’s own “bucket list” race for Desperate Man.

The 2021 Pepsi North America Cup will always be a race to remember for the Cecchins. It was an exhausting night for them, recalled Kathy.

“We weren’t going to leave [Desperate Man] in the paddock,” she said. “I stayed in retention with him. He’d never been alone in his whole life.”

After the win, Slick was a local hero.

“People brought flowers,” said Kathy. “You wouldn’t believe what it was like. All these people came from Arthur, the people who our son used to play hockey and lacrosse with. They brought carrots and apples for Slick. It’s so crazy and overwhelming.”

While disappointing, Desperate Man’s show finish in the Borgata was also evidence of his grit.

“We weren’t upset about how Scotty [Zeron] drove [Linedrive Hanover] or Matt [Kakaley] drove [Desperate Man],” said Kathy. “We were just sad for the horse. He tried his heart out. Everybody did what they thought they should do.”

With the 2024 North America Cup around the corner, thoughts naturally turn to whether Desperate Man might make an appearance at Woodbine Mohawk Park. Kathy said that his upcoming season will be based on invitationals, and everything is on the table, provided it’s what’s best for the horse. And a return to his Ontario home will happen, eventually.

“I packed a bag for him when he went away,” she told HRU. “I told John, ‘I just want him to have his own stuff.’ It was hard to send him away. He’s a character. We miss him. You would love him if he was a $7,000 claimer.”