HARNESS RACING LOS ALAMITOS : Track Record Taking a Beating

Before this spring, the fastest 3-year-old pacers at Los Alamitos were never able to go a mile in less than 1 minute 54 seconds.

But the track record for 3-year-old colts has been lowered twice in the last month and might be broken again Saturday in the $250,000 final of the Shelly Goudreau Memorial Pacing Series.

Best Of Dani’s record of 1:54 1/5 set in 1987 was equaled April 4 by Bright As Day. On April 11, in the first leg of the Goudreau series, Prince Brian won in 1:53, and he lowered it again Saturday with a seven-length victory in 1:52 4/5, the fastest mile by a 3-year-old pacer in the nation this year.

The time was also the fourth-fastest pacing mile in Los Alamitos history, behind TK’s Skipper’s three races in the American Pacing Classic series in 1990.

“He has one speed when you turn it loose,” said Joe Pavia Jr., who has driven Prince Brian to victories in all four of his 1992 starts. “I wanted to go an easier mile. He’s very fast for this stage of the year. Hopefully, we can win this one (on Saturday), give him some time off and tackle the northern horses.”

Prince Brian was purchased by Nick Barbieri of Woodbridge, Ontario, earlier this year for $100,000 at Pompano Park, in Florida. The colt won two races in March before being shipped to Los Alamitos.

Last year, Barbieri owned Easy Goer, a 3-year-old pacer, who earned more than $400,000 against top-level pacers such as horse of the year Precious Bunny, Die Laughing and Artsplace.

After the Goudreau final, Prince Brian is scheduled to return to Mohawk Raceway, where his East Coast trainer, Rheal Bourgeois, is based, to prepare for two major races in June.

“It’s a nice feeling to have the favorite,” Barbieri said. “Easy Goer was always third or fourth choice when he tackled Precious Bunny and Die Laughing.”

Prince Brian, who is trained in California by Bob Reeser, was also the only horse to repeat as a winner of qualifying legs leading to this weekend’s final. Vacationing won a division of the first leg on April 11 in 1:55 1/5, but was fifth Saturday behind Prince Brian. Shiney Key, who was third behind Vacationing on April 11, won the second division of the second leg last weekend in 1:54 3/5. The colt is owned by Michael Schwartz of Santa Ana, Don Gressman of Santa Monica and Ross Croghan of Cypress, the leading driver in the spring meeting.

Shiney Key is the second-leading qualifier to the 12-horse final based on money earned in the qualifying legs. Other qualifiers include Bright As Day, Dal Reo Scruffy, You Better You Bet, So, Jovial Killean, Falcon Dakota, As Promised and Humstinger. True Tyrant, a winner of 13 of 15 starts, and Just A Mene tied for the final spot, which will be determined by draw.

True Tyrant was fourth to Vacationing on April 11, but was found to have a throat problem and hasn’t raced since. Trainer Jake Goertzen wasn’t sure if True Tyrant would attempt to enter the final, which will be drawn between the third and fourth races tonight.

Shiney Key, a 3-year-old colt by Abercrombie, beat older horses twice last May as a 2-year-old at Los Alamitos. Last summer, he earned more than $125,000 by winning a division of the Potomac at Rosecroft Raceway in Maryland and finishing second by half a length in a division of the Prix de l’Avenir to Western Hanover, the nation’s top 2-year-old pacer last year, at Blue Bonnets in Montreal.

Croghan has been the top percentage driver for six of the last nine Los Alamitos meetings, but will win his first Los Alamitos title Saturday.

“(Prince Brian) is going to be very tough,” Croghan said. “You pray that he gets a bad draw and I get a good one. Post position is going to play a big part for all the horses.”

Trainer Todd Philpott is enjoying an impressive rookie season. The 22-year-old from Michigan brought eight horses west from his home state for this meeting, but raced only three, including Bombed Algebra, an impressive trotter and Personal Regards, who won last Thursday’s $30,000 Stanton Pacing Series Final.

Philpott graduated from college in Morrisville, N.Y. last year with a degree centering on harness racing. The school operates a small racing stable of older horses that raced in New York, mainly at Vernon Downs. The program gave Philpott hands-on experience with many problems that trainers face.

This season, his stable has started only 16 times, with four winners. “That made us come out ahead,” he said of Personal Regard’s victory. “The expense was getting out here and getting back (to Michigan).”