Harness: Gamblin Mo starting to live up to Butenschoen's expectations

Trainer John Butenschoen thought he had a nice colt training down and preparing to race as a freshman in 2020. Gamblin Mo, a son of Captaintreacherous and half-brother to the speedy Major Betts, had given the kind of indicators necessary for owners to expect bigger things.

"We staked him pretty well," said Butenschoen of Gamblin Mo and 2-year-old expectations.

It took 13 races in a juvenile campaign for Butenschoen to do some soul searching and try to change the courage of the underachieving colt.

"I kept racing him thinking he would get better and he didn't," said Butenschoen.

By season's end, it was clear that Gamblin Mo was not finishing races as expected.

"We decided to geld him," said Butenschoen, who noticed a nice change in the sophomore's demeanor training back over the winter.

"He was much calmer to be around and acted better on the track," said Butenschoen, who admittedly was reluctant to get high on Gamblin Mo again only to be disappointed when the season began.

"I trained him with Blank Stare," Butenschoen said of last year's top 3-year-old. "I sat on Blank Stare's back with him, and then he just blew right by in the stretch. Honestly, I wondered more about what had happened to Blank Stare than how good Gamblin Mo was."

A week later Butenschoen put the two in a qualifier at Southern Oaks Training Center, and this time Gamblin Mo cut the mile with Blank Stare tracking him and the results were the same, with Gamblin Mo showing a 54-flat final half in a 1:55 2/5 mile.

The stable came north in the spring, and Gamblin Mo got his chance to do on the track what he had shown Butenschoen he was capable of in Florida. On April 27 Gamblin Mo equaled his win total of his full freshman season, scoring in 1:51 3/5 for driver Tyler Buter against non-winners-of-two company at Pocono.

"He was eligible to the Sire Stakes at The Meadows, but I didn't want to throw him in against the wolves," said Butenschoen, suggesting he thought enough of the sophomore to let him make a more natural progression.

Last Saturday in the Pennsylvania All-Stars at Pocono, Gamblin Mo drew into what appeared to be the deepest of the four $30,000 divisions. The field of nine included last year's Governor's Cup champion Always A Miki, who was making his season's debut from post nine, as well as Stonebridge Reef, who was just a head off in second in the first leg of the Sire Stakes at The Meadows a week earlier.

Tyler Buter drove Gamblin Mo with extreme confidence, and the Captaintreacherous gelding marched out of the gate with a 26 3/5 opening quarter, forcing his rivals to take a seat. Buter never looked to invite trouble and instead of backing down the pace, he let Gamblin Mo dictate the action, cutting snappy fractions of 54 2/5 and 1:22 1/5 before a final quarter of 28 seconds sealed the 1:50 1/5 mile. From all indications it looked pretty clear that Gamblin Mo had something in reserve. While comparing horses by final times is a slippery slope, the highly-rated and far more expensive One Eight Hundred captured his stanza in the same time. For the record, Gamblin Mo cost just $30,000.

Gamblin Mo is the fourth foal out of Southwind Johanne, and the first by the Somebeachsomewhere stallion line.

"We're going to try him in the Sire Stakes on Sunday," said Butenschoen of Gamblin Mo, who starts from post four in the first of three $51,045 Sire Stakes races at Pocono (race eight).

While Sire Stakes are likely on the menu for now, Gamblln Mo could see Grand Circuit action in August if he lives up to expectations, with the Adios a possibility.

Butenschoen's stable has come out red-hot since its arrival at Pocono this year, and the trainer was excited about a pair of trotters.

"My stable was next to Ed Lohmeyer's down in Florida, and we've gotten to be good friends," said Butenschoen. "When he asked me to take Melania for Patty Hogan I didn't know what I was getting. She's got a chance to be a top filly."

Melania, a daughter of Donato Hanover, had some minor stakes experience as a 2-year-old but ended the 2020 campaign with just one win in seven tries.

Melania debuted for Butenschoen on April 27 at Pocono and won easily from off-the-pace in a 1:54 4/5 clocking, then looked extra-special a week later, powering wire-to-wire from post eight, leaving favored Imhatra Am S in her wake on the final turn, and coasting home in 1:54 3/5.

Melania was a $27,000 yearling purchase at Harrisburg in 2019.

Butenschoen has another Donato Hanover offspring in Truffles Too, who he gelded after last season and has seen a difference with already in 2021. A winner in 1:54 4/5 in his sophomore debut at Pocono, Truffles Too made a break last week.

"We've made some equipment changes, and I think he'll be fine," said Butenschoen, with expectations for stakes action in Truffles Too's immediate future.

The aforementioned Blank Stare is a rarity in the Butenschoen stable.

"We generally sell all of our 4-year-olds," said Butenschoen. "I'm really hoping they start carding a 4-year-old Open at Yonkers."

The trainer believes that Blank Stare could thrive on the half-mile track, and given the son of Ponder's 10-1 upset at Yonkers in last year's $225,000 New York Sire Stakes final, there's certainly cause for optimism.

Over the years Butenschoen has done a fabulous job in the trotting game, and he's hopeful that this year perhaps a pair of 2-year-olds he's training will benefit from an earlier start.

"I've got two by Dover Dan," said Butenschoen of the first-crop sire who he campaigned a few years ago.

Dover Dan is an Andover Hall stallion and is out the former Horse of the Year CR Kay Suzie. His first crop is eligible in Indiana.

Muscle Dan and Famous Dan are training as well for Butenschoen as some of the other trotters in his barn with more established trotting sires in their pedigrees. Muscle Dan is the first foal out of the 1:52 3/5-winning Windsongmusclelady, while Famous Dan is the first foal out of Silvia, a 1:56 2/5 stakes winner as a 2-year-old that is a full sister to the fast 3-year-old from 2017 by the name of Hey Mickey.

According to Butenschoen, the two Dover Dans are now geldings.