Harness: Ohio champion nearing a return to action ahead of Cutler

When the list of eligible horses comes out, the first stakes I check are the older races. While we know nearly every top 3-year-old will be in action the following year and have no idea which 2-year-olds will pop up as stars, with the 4-year-old and up crowd, there is always the question as to which horses have retired or are no longer considered top-shelf competitors by their connections.

While still two full months away on the calendar, the A.J. Cutler Memorial is the first major Grand Circuit race for older trotters, and it usually provides a glimpse into which horses you can expect to see throughout the year. The list of 24 who are eligible for the $175,000 (estimated) final on May 21 at the Meadowlands includes Hambletonian winner Forbidden Trade (2019), a pair of Hambletonian Oaks winners Bella Bellini (2021) and When Dovescry (2019) - a number of Breeders Crown champions in Amigo Volo (2020), Ecurie D (2021), Jujubee (2021), and a Mohawk Million winner (Venerate, 2020) among the star-studded cast.

Despite all that firepower being locked and loaded, Action Uncle, a horse that hasn't been seen on the track since October 17, 2020, was the named that jumped off the page.

For those that weren't quite on the Ohio bandwagon two years ago, Action Uncle was named Horse of the Year in the state in 2020 after posting a nearly perfect 10-9-1-0 record and earning $351,960 for trainer Virgil Morgan Jr and the ownership group of Carl Howard, Joyce McClelland and Larry Willis. The son of Uncle Peter was on track for a potential Breeders Crown appearance at Harrah's Hoosier Park after an open-lengths score over the track the week leading up to the elimination. That's when x-rays discovered a broken wing tip of his coffin bone which sent him to the sidelines - until now!

"He's doing really good. He's trained in 2:05, and I'll probably qualify him in three weeks," said Morgan. "We gave him more than enough time off. We didn't want to have him ready too early. The plan was always to have him ready in April, so we are right on target."

There is of course some uncertainty, not only with how well Action Uncle will come back to the races but also his ranking among the best older trotters in the land. It is worth noting that the now 5-year-old owns two North American records - 1:54 for 2-year-old colts on the half (tied with Arnold N Dicky, both at Delaware) and 1:52 4/5 for 3-year-old colts on the half (also at Delaware).

"I always thought he was a top horse as a 3-year-old and nothing's changed. So far so good," said Morgan, who expects the fully-staked Action Uncle to qualify three times, likely at the Meadowlands, before looking for an overnight race or two ahead of the Cutler.

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While Morgan will have to wait until May for Action Uncle's Grand Circuit debut, he'll get to watch three others from his barn in stakes races over the coming days at Yonkers Raceway. He'll send out The Bethinator and Miss You N in the opening leg of the Blue Chip Matchmaker Series on Friday (March 18) and Chase H Hanover will get his first taste of older foes in his 4-year-old debut the following Monday in the MGM Borgata Series.

The Bethinator starts from post two with Tim Tetrick listed to drive in the first of four $40,000 Matchmaker races (race five) on the card, while Miss You N is stuck in post seven in the seventh race with Dexter Dunn getting the assignment. Both mares made their 2022 debuts last weekend at the Meadowlands, with Miss You N winning impressively from off-the-pace in 1:52, less than two lengths ahead of her stablemate in third.

"We gave both mares a break because this series has quite a few legs," said Morgan about the three-month gap in action for his charges. "We wouldn't put them in this series if we didn't think they had a shot to make the final. They could've raced in Open races and made good money elsewhere."

Perhaps under the radar, Chase H Hanover has earned nearly $600,000 in his first two years of racing and will make his first start in the Morgan stable from post three in the first of five (race three) $50,000 Borgata splits on March 21. Off a 1:51 1/5 qualifying win at the Meadowlands and a subsequent 1:52 4/5 non-betting score at Yonkers, the $225,000 onGAIT purchase appears more than ready to come out of the gate strong.

"I couldn't find a race for him," said Morgan as to why he qualified at Yonkers. "It's a big transition from 3 to 4, but I think the qualifiers speak for themselves."

While Chase H Hanover was lucky to draw an inside post, he'll have to tackle 2021 series champion This Is The Plan (post five) in what shapes up as a stacked race.