Harness: Party Girl Hill prepping nicely for her 2021 campaign

Sometimes it's hard to look ahead without thinking about the past. For trainer Chris Ryder, who nearly led the magnificent pacing filly Party Girl Hill to an undefeated campaign in 2020, the one loss still stings. "I still think had the Breeders Crown been anywhere but Hoosier Park the results would have been different," Ryder said of the lone defeat in the 16-race campaign that was otherwise perfect.

To Ryder's credit, he didn't grasp at the plethora of excuses we've heard over the years, like "scoped 70 percent sick," for example.

Of course, Party Girl Hill wasn't the only heavily favored 3-year-old pacer to lose at Hoosier Park that night, as Tall Dark Stranger also fell victim to the endless stretch and was upset by a rank outsider in quest of a Breeders Crown score.

With Tall Dark Stranger gone to the breeding shed this year that Horse of the Year rivalry is now in the past, giving Ryder and his now-4-year-old the opportunity to blaze a new trail.

"She looks great," said Ryder of Party Girl Hill. "We've been in 2:20 with her."

Party Girl Hill won 15 times in her first year at the races and she proved at least on one occasion to be up to racing against and defeating male competition. The opportunity came upon her connections at Lexington last year and she was more than up to the task, capturing a division of the Tattersalls in a personal best 1:47 2/5 mile at the expense of the eventual Crown winner Sandbetweenmytoes and the rugged No Lou Zing.

It was the Tattersalls score specifically that put Party Girl Hill squarely in the fight for Horse of the Year last year, but Ryder has indicated that he's not ready to make a regular thing out of facing male competition this year.

"We got a few invitations last year to race against the boys and turned them down," Ryder said. "The race at The Red Mile just worked on her schedule."

Looking forward to the 2021 season, Ryder pointed to a May return likely in the Betsy Ross invitational at Harrah's Philadelphia. The trainer is cautious of putting a 4-year-old against seasoned aged horses too early in the season. Last year at this time Party Girl Hill was making her way north from a winter in Florida and would make her debut for Ryder in a Meadowlands qualifier in May. The daughter of Captaintreacherous was dominant in Pennsylvania and beyond. There's every reason to believe with a full season under her belt she'll be even better this year.

Having a horse of the caliber of Party Girl Hill in the stable is certainly something to look forward to. Ryder has obviously felt the loss of stable star Bettor's Wish, whose retirement into a full-time stallion has left a deep void among the 42 in his barn.

"I miss him around here," Ryder said of Bettor's Wish. "I haven't had any foals by him yet but my mare Ashlee Sparkles is expecting any day." For the record, Ashlee Sparkles is an Art Major-sired mare bred almost identically to champion Courtly Choice, and from the family of Betterthancheddar.

With nearly half of his stable 2-year-olds preparing for the races, Ryder passed the March 15 staking deadline with noted optimism. "Yes, we made a lot of payments," Ryder said without specifying which in the group he's highest on.

While some trainers have the luxury of going to yearling sales with six-figure expectations, Ryder has kept himself afloat over the years by seeking out those with lesser price tags, not necessarily undesirable pedigrees.

"I still look for the families I think are the best," Ryder said. "I think when you talk about good families, sometimes there are reasons why they are dormant and then come to life."

Ryder's recollection of the wealth in the dam's side of Bettor's Wish's pedigree gave him the confidence to purchase him for a "bargain" price of $20,000 in 2017. "It's a long way back to Three Diamonds and Life Sign in that family," said Ryder of the nearly 30-year time lapse between the foundation mare's birth and emergence.

While those with deep pockets can pinpoint the best pedigrees and conformations, Ryder is philosophical about his mission.

"I think there are plenty of horses in the sale that will go for $40,000 and under that have solid pedigrees," Ryder said. "I just believe when you go to the sale you have to stay focused."

This year could find Ryder coming up with a few more diamonds along the way as he continues to zag while others zig. Among the group of juveniles preparing for action is a pair by Father Patrick that didn't cost very much.

"I thought the market got a little soft on the Father Patricks," Ryder said.

While Ryder tends to train and leave the driving to today's top pilots, he found himself in the bike last Saturday night behind the 15-1 Meadowlands upsetter Barrage Hanover, a 4-year-old he owns and trains. Some had dismissed the horse in the wagering simply because Ryder chose to drive.

"I gave him one start," said Ryder, referring to the fifth-place finish in non-winners of 4 class on March 6 at the Meadowlands. "When I entered him I was worried the the race wouldn't fill. When the entry sheet came out and I saw that he got into a non-winners of $2,500 I was surprised they let him enter that race."

In fact, Ryder had extreme confidence in his 4-year-old given the depths of the drop in class after just one solid performance.

As for his driving future, Ryder suggested that his son Patrick is more likely to be given the opportunity. The 26-year-old has been seen in qualifiers recently at The Meadowlands and the proud poppa is happy to have him.

"He's been bitten by the horse bug," said Ryder. "He graduated from college with a degree in finance and was set to move out to Colorado."

Plans changed and Patrick is now working full time in the stable.