Hoosier Park: New Hall-of-Famer Jamieson hopes for Dan Patch success with Up The Credit

Carl Jamieson’s journey to the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame might get sidetracked temporarily by a trip to Indiana.

The Hall of Fame will introduce its 2013 inductees at a wine and cheese reception on Friday at Toronto’s Woodbine Racetrack. The 62-year-old Jamieson, who was elected to the Hall of Fame in the driver/trainer category, would be among those honorees except for the fact he plans on Friday to drive his horse Up The Credit to Hoosier Park for Saturday’s $200,000 Dan Patch Invitational for older pacers.

“Everything hit at the same time,” Jamieson said. He is making sure to clear his calendar for the Aug. 15 induction ceremony.

Up The Credit is one of the horses responsible for helping Jamieson achieve Hall of Fame status. Now a 5-year-old, the horse won the 2011 North America Cup and was named Canada’s best 3-year-old male pacer. That same season, Jamieson’s Warrawee Needy was voted best 2-year-old male pacer.

Warrawee Needy, a 4-year-old who last weekend finished second by a nose to Sweet Lou in the Meadowlands Maturity, was among the horses considered for the Dan Patch Invitational, but Jamieson was concerned about the horse’s schedule and thought Up The Credit a viable replacement.

Up The Credit is coming off consecutive wins in the condition ranks at Woodbine, with his most recent being a 1:48.3 triumph that equaled the second-fastest mile of the season. Warrawee Needy also has a 1:48 3/5 victory this year, which came in the preferred at Woodbine on May 4.

“He went a big trip and did all the work himself on the front,” Jamieson said about Up The Credit’s last race. “He’s a very nice horse. He’s on top of his game. I think he’s coming into his own right now.”

Up The Credit did double duty last season, breeding and racing, and was limited to eight starts because of a leg injury in November. He returned to action in April and has won two of six starts. For his career, the son of stallion Western Terror and mare Cantbuymehappiness has won 12 of 40 races and earned $1.25 million.

The 4-year-old Warrawee Needy has four wins and three second-places finishes in eight starts this year. He is expected to race on June 1 in the second round of the TVG Free for All Series Championship at the Meadowlands and then head to Tioga Downs for the Roll With Joe on June 9.

“It’s just too much racing – bang, bang, bang – and just a little too much trucking,” Jamieson said. “So I decided not to take him (to the Dan Patch) and Up The Credit has been going so good lately.”

Joining Up The Credit in the Dan Patch field are Hurrikane Kingcole, Paco Labrook, Versado, Rockincam, Fred And Ginger, Dancin Yankee, Bolt The Duer, A Rocknroll Dance and Aracache Hanover. Rockincam is the event’s defending champion and Fred And Ginger is this year’s fastest pacer, with a 1:48.1 win to his credit in a division of the TVG Free for All Series Championship at the Meadowlands on May 11.

Up The Credit will start from post nine in the 10-horse field with Trace Tetrick handling the driving.

“Nothing is easy, that’s for sure,” Jamieson said. “Everything has to work right to win. It’s not always about speed, you need luck too. There are some good horses in this race. But so is he.”

- Courtesy of Harness Racing Communications, a division of the U.S. Trotting Association. For more information, please visit www.ustrotting.com