Harness: Four-year-old party could be on the menu for Mardi Gras Man

There is a huge gap between having a horse that is extremely fast and one that is an extremely fast racehorse. The idea that every horse that shows speed becomes a racehorse is fictional since natural ability does not always translate to racetrack success. The frustration for trainers that must deal with horses that don't just fall into line and veer off the path is too numerous. Training and racing are two quite different parts to this sport and succeeding at the first is no guarantee you will succeed at the second.

For trainer Stacy Chiodo there was little doubt in her mind that she had a horse with speed when she began training the homebred Mardi Gras Man for his freshman season in 2025. Chiodo had campaigned his dam Sweeter Lulu during her racing career that included an impressive 2-year-old season while facing the likes of Warrawee Ubeaut on the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes circuit. While Sweeter Lulu would have issues with soundness during a long and prosperous racing career, she stood out in other ways.

"She had a tremendous heart and desire," said Chiodo.

Given Sweeter Lulu's characteristics, Mardi Gras Man, a son of Stay Hungry that Chiodo gelded at an early stage of training to keep him composed, had the bloodlines to become a stakes horse should all the pieces fit together.

Chiodo debuted Mardi Gras Man in July of 2025 and saw him make a break in a qualifier at Harrah's Philadelphia. He would return the following week with a flat line that allowed Mardi Gras Man to make his career debut on August 10, and it was the kind of mile that every trainer loves to see. Mardi Gras Man rallied from far off-the-pace and stormed home in 27 2/5, pacing a solid final half and giving Chiodo the inspiration to try stakes company in the Kindergarten Series, one of only a few stakes races he was eligible to. Mardi Gras Man raced well in defeat but was 10 lengths behind the winner even though he paced a final quarter in 26 3/5.

"We brought him back to race at Chester (Harrah's Philadelphia), and he made breaks in his last two starts, so we quit with him," said Chiodo. "He had talent but mentally he just couldn't handle it."

With some time and education Chiodo was hopeful that the proverbial bell would go off and her claims to ownership that there was a special horse inside Mardi Gras Man would be revealed.

Those hopes seemed doomed from the start of Mardi Gras Man's sophomore season with the gelding making miscues in two of his first three starts of the year. A fourth-place finish to Bookie J at the Meadowlands came in between the breaks, but clearly little had changed.

"He was making breaks in the same spot on the track," said Chiodo. "I just decided to give him a bit more time and bring him back."

When Mardi Gras Man returned on July 14 to qualify at Harrah's Philadelphia, Chiodo had not made any equipment changes, but there was a difference in the horse. Mardi Gras Man stayed flat and paced home strongly in his qualifier, and then returned five days later on July 19 with an eye-catching performance, winning for the first time in eight career starts. Young driver Trae Porter took Mardi Gras Man well off-the-pace and then saw him fire off a wicked final half to get up in time in a 1:55 mile.

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One start doesn't make a success story, and given all the previous experiences, Mardi Gras Man needed to get over the hump, so to speak. With Porter in the bike over the last four weeks, Mardi Gras Man has shifted from a fast horse into a potentially gifted racehorse. He worked his way out of non-winners of one race on July 26 at Harrah's Philadelphia with another off-the-pace romp in 1:53, then moved up in class with a 1:50 3/5 blowout on August 2.

As visually imposing as his victories had been, Mardi Gras Man's transition to complete racehorse could only come if he could be versatile on the track. Porter tested Mardi Gras Man in last Sunday's (August 9) non-winners of three event at Harrah's Philadelphia and found out a lot more. Mardi Gas Man was vicious, leaving in 27 1/5 and pacing a 54 3/5 back-half en route to a 1:50 2/5 personal-best.

"I'd have to say it's been Trae that's made the difference with this horse," said Chiodo in admiration for the 25-year-old. "I didn't put any pressure on him. I told him to race the horse the way he was comfortable with."

Chiodo had a connection with the Porter family. "I worked with his grandfather Jim Porter for Eugene Landy back in the day," said Chiodo. "Jim had a great pair of hands and so does Trae."

There won't be any stakes races this year for Mardi Gras Man, but Chiodo is hoping for long-term success for a horse that appears to have untapped potential. "I think he should be able to work his way up the classes here," said Chiodo of keeping Mardi Gras Man at Harrah's Philadelphia through the season. "Then we'll figure out the next steps as a 4-year-old."

HAMBO MUSINGS: Without question, Saturday's (August 8) Hambletonian finish was riveting, with a slim nose separating Apex from Big Ranger for the first prize in the $1 million contest. The Hambletonian became a match race when two potential front-runners in It Could Be Worse and Magic Punk made breaks in stride at the start. Magic Punk's break also wiped out American Power's chances, with James MacDonald forced to check and go even wider into the first turn.

That it took some time - roughly five minutes or so - to determine that Apex had in fact won the race and given both his trainer Marcus Melander and driver Dexter Dunn their first Hambletonian victory. It must have seemed like an eternity for the previously snake-bitten pair. Given the disappointments of past years, it was easy to understand how the two were likely not optimistic following the all-too-close finish.

In a world where we all try to draw conclusions with absolutes and no room for error, it's hard to imagine that a margin as minimal as a nostril could be a defining moment for either horse or their connections.

The 2026 Hambletonian was an epic performance by two horses, with both arriving at the finish line in a stakes record 1:49 2/5 mile clocking. It was fitting that Melander and Dunn would find the winner's circle following years of racing top contenders. Big Ranger brought his "A" game to East Rutherford and was brilliant in his elimination and final for trainer Anette Lorentzon and driver Tim Tetrick.

As a racing fan there can only be hope that the Hambletonian finish spurs a rivalry with exceptional trainers, drivers and horses providing thrilling, competitive and dramatic racing for all to enjoy.