Harness: Go Dog Go maturing as he embarks on the Hambletonian trail

It's still quite early in the racing season to know how the events will play out when the 100th Hambletonian is raced at the Meadowlands on August 2, as the field is far from being set and many of the potential horses that will fill the entry box are still in their preliminary stages of conditioning. Trainer Carter Pinske has about 60 horses in training at his family's South Oaks Training Center in Florida, with one horse that may have a date with destiny come this summer.

"He raced pretty late into the year and we gave him about 55-60 days out," said Pinske when asked about Go Dog Go, a now-3-year-old son of Greenshoe that returned to his stable in mid-February following a Kentucky vacation and is slowly moving towards his sophomore racing season. "He looks great and seems to have matured."

For Pinske, that maturation will be a key to just what kind of year Go Dog Go will have since the colt is blessed with extreme speed, but for a few weeks in Lexington last year he lacked the discipline necessary to win races that he appeared to have already won.

"It's something you just have to move on from," said Pinske when discussing the breaks that Go Dog Go made for no apparent reason during the Grand Circuit meet at The Red Mile, snatching defeat from apparent victory.

"He's probably the most athletic horse I've ever had," Pinske said, describing the colt that has the incredibly fast Greenshoe as a sire and hails from the immediate maternal line of the brilliant Mission Brief. On that front, Pinske recognized what has become a quirk of the pedigree. "Actually, he's got a little of it from both sides of his pedigree." The "It" is likely a lack of focus that can lead to a horse making breaks at the most inopportune times in a race.

Pinske took a conservative approach to Go Dog Go's racing career, qualifying him in late July before dropping him in the box for a leg of the Kentucky Commonwealth on July 28. With Todd McCarthy in the bike, Go Dog Go went from last to first in the stretch over a sloppy surface, giving just a hint of the kind of raw speed he possessed.

One week later Go Dog Go would be racing with the best in Championship Series competition at The Red Mile and make a break while attempting the same sweeping move.

► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter

Both Pinske and McCarthy showed patience and it would be rewarded, with Go Dog Go settling down and capturing a leg of the Kentucky Championship division before going on to finish second in the $400,000 final on September 15.

Two Grand Circuit races would see Go Dog Go leading in the stretch and making unkind breaks in stride for no apparent reason. Still, despite the disappointment, Pinske had ultimate confidence in his horse and his chances.

"When we sent him to the Meadowlands, I thought he was good enough to win one of the big races," said Pinske. "We made some changes and he raced better, but we just didn't get the win."

Trotting hopples were part of the change and during his stay at the Meadowlands Go Dog Go remained on stride and put in some major performances, including finishing a game third in the Breeders Crown final following a long and determined coverless grind. He followed that up with a multiple-move effort in the Valley Victory in late November that also resulted in a third-place finish.

"We'll get him ready and send him to New Jersey in July for the big races," said Pinske with confidence that Go Dog Go will be ready to tackle the elite in this year's sophomore crop. Despite some major disappointments and leaving money on the table, Go Dog Go banked nearly $308K during his freshman campaign, with a good amount earned in Kentucky.

"We've got about 60 horses in training and only a handful aren't dual-bred or Kentucky-bred," said Pinske. "We bought a farm in Kentucky (Versailles) with about 50 stalls. It puts us near the three Kentucky tracks."

For Pinske, who had stabled in New Jersey, the move makes it more efficient for his staff and the horses to compete in Kentucky and beyond.

While Go Dog Go may have been Pinske's fastest freshman, he wasn't the richest in the stable, with Aperfect Annie, a daughter of Googoo Gaagaa, earning $350K by virtue of her success in the Kentucky program, as well as a second-place finish in a Breeders Crown elimination race.

"I think we're going to point her more for Kentucky this year," said Pinske of the filly that as a freshman captured the $400,000 Kentucky Championship final. "I don't think she has the speed of the top five in the division."

Clearly with the rich Kentucky program there's a tremendous advantage to staying close to home, though the competition will certainly be fierce with many other top sophomore fillies enjoying the dual-eligibility.

Pinske seemed happy with the progress of his freshman class but cautioned those looking to find them racing in June. "I'm a little slower than most at this time of year," said Pinske, hopeful that the strategy will lead to success in the fall.