LOS ALAMITOS : Bickford Has Big Horse, Little Stable

Walter Bickford’s eight-horse stable won’t overwhelm anyone with size, but the barn has loomed rather large this spring, thanks to the 3-year-old stakes-winning trotter Mighty Trouble.

He’s the star of Bickford’s string that consists mostly of home-grown talent and horses that Bickford trains for friends.

The colt has won six of seven starts this spring and came from behind in winning last week’s $19,600 California Breeders Stakes for 3-year-old colts and geldings.

Mighty Trouble represents a change in philosophy for Bickford, 68. He trains the colt for Willie and Jean Kilpatrick of Westminister and leaves the driving to the red-hot Jack Parker Jr. Most of the horses in the stable are owned by Bickford and partner Robert Wiley of Hemet, but the Kilpatricks and Bickford have had a long association.

“They’ve been with us a long time,” Bickford said. “They’ve put a lot of money in this business, buying horses and not making it. This is the first horse they’ve owned that made them any money. You don’t get owners any better. They give you free rein. You train the horse the way you want, you send them a bill and they send you a check. That makes a good owner.”

Bickford and Wiley lease a small ranch in Hemet that serves as a breeding farm and a training facility. They recently added two stallions from the East Coast, and when the season ends in a couple of months, Bickford will turn his attention to next year’s horses.

“Everything in our barn belongs to a friend or we raised it ourselves,” he said. “We own the mothers and the fathers, and most of the broodmares we have we broke and trained also. It’s kind of like raising kids, sending them off to college and watching them become doctors. I don’t think I’d have it any other way.”

Thursday night, Bickford will send out two 3-year-old filly trotters in the $20,000 California Breeders Stakes, Stella Performance and Lacy Bloomers, both owned by Wiley and Bickford.

Bickford, a lifelong bachelor, saw his first harness race in 1938 in his native Nova Scotia and watched legendary driver Joe O’Brien compete there. Track maintenance was a little different then. The track didn’t have a tractor pulling harrows to repair the course between races. Instead, a truck pulled four birch trees, complete with branches and leaves, across the track.

Bickford moved to Boston and established a construction company, occasionally attending the races. Then in 1967, he quit the construction business and moved to California.

“I was attracted to the good weather and the thought of getting in this business,” he said. “I eventually threw everything else away and have done this ever since. I’ve been happy. No money, but I’ve been happy.”

The money is starting to accumulate, though, in Mighty Trouble’s bank account. He has earned more than $90,000, has won four stakes races this year and seems to fit Parker well.

“He’s Jack’s kind of horse,” Bickford said. “(Mighty Trouble) loves the front end and when you think you’re the best horse in the race, you should be on the front end. On a five-eighths-mile race track, there’s less trouble that way.”

Mighty Trouble’s only loss this year was a fourth-place finish May 1 behind Mad Milton, who set a track record. Mighty Trouble had been off for a month before that race. Last week’s victory seemed especially gratifying for Bickford and Parker because Mighty Trouble went off stride, seemingly losing all chance, just as the one-mile race began.

“I thought we were down and out,” Bickford said. A patient drive by Parker and a break by leading contender Mad Milton in the final quarter enabled Mighty Trouble to seize the victory at the wire.

“My heart can’t stand too much more of this,” said Parker, who thought the race was lost when Mighty Trouble momentarily broke stride. “I figured I’d get him back trotting and salvage a check, but the horse I had to worry about made a break on the last turn.”

Bickford has been forced to alter his training style to fit Mighty Trouble. The colt doesn’t train numerous miles between starts as do most horses, but instead was given just a half-mile workout before the May 1 loss to Mad Milton.

“That wasn’t enough,” Bickford said. “I think he’ll be better next week. He’s not the soundest horse, so you really can’t train him up to the race. But you wait all your life for a horse like this.”

The 3-year-old colt and gelding division of the California Breeders Stakes pace drew only six entrants, but the $23,200 race was anything but easy for 4-5 favorite Heavy Tipper.

The Denali colt, owned by James Coats of Citrus Heights, Calif., was kept off the rail virtually the entire mile by El Camino Real. The tandem battled to the top of the stretch before Heavy Tipper pulled away and El Camino Real fell back to fourth. The quick time of 1:55 1/5 has left Heavy Tipper’s connections feeling the gelding could run faster if he gets a better trip.

“He doesn’t know where the end of the mile is,” said winning driver Todd Ratchford, who is seventh in the driver standings. “(Trainer Paul Blumenfeld) said, ‘Go as far as you can.’ He said, ‘If (El Camino Real’s driver Rick) Kuebler hangs you out, then we’ll beat him down the line.’ ”

It was the seventh victory in 11 starts in 1991 for Heavy Tipper, who also had won a California Sires Stakes event at the start of the month.

The first stakes races for 2-year-olds are still a few weeks away, but qualifying races are starting to feature more of the freshman set.

Driver Ross Croghan qualified Shiney Key, a 2-year-old Abercrombie pacer, last Saturday. The colt raced a mile in 2:01 3/5, including a last quarter in 28 3/5. He was bought in September at a sale in Lexington, Ky., for $10,000 by Croghan and two partners.

Los Alamitos Notes

Trainer Bob Johnson said that Jiffy’s Girl, a regular in the filly and mare invitational pace division, should be back to the races this weekend after spending a month on the sidelines because of a virus. The mare qualified Saturday in 1:59 1/5, pacing the last half-mile in 58 1/5 seconds. “I don’t know how good she’ll be,” Johnson said. “She’s still a little dull. You get that sickness, and you have to let them build themselves back up and get some vitamins in them.”

One filly who will no longer be in the filly and mare invitational pace is Lexie, who has gone off stride in her last three starts, baffling driver Abe Stoltzfus. The 3-year-old won her first 11 races, but hasn’t lasted more than half a mile in her last three outings.

“She’s got me half crazy,” said Stoltzfus. “Maybe she’s seeing something in the turn. Maybe the change (of scenery) will help.”

Lexie is scheduled to leave Los Alamitos this weekend for a series of stakes races in New York.