Harness: Pelling adds new stock to go along with a star-studded cast

Like everyone these days, trainer Brett Pelling's stable is in a holding pattern. With 25-head to care for, of which 11 are 2-year-olds, Pelling has most of his stock right where he wants them to be.

"If they told us we'd be racing in a week or two, mine would be ready to put in the box," Pelling said.

Leading the brigade of uber-talented pacers is Papi Rob Hanover. The now 3-year-old is ready for action even if there are no racetracks open for battle. "He looks and feels magnificent," Pelling said of the 3-year-old son of Somebeachsomewhere who captured last year's Breeders Crown final only to be disqualified and placed second.

The downtime has also given Pelling a chance to do something he doesn’t do that often. "With all of the videos that have been posted over the last few weeks, I've gotten a chance to go back and watch some of those Somebeachsomewhere races," Pelling said. It's not as if the trainer needed more reasons to love the late-sire or his offspring. In addition to Papi Rob Hanover, Pelling considered five of his 2-year-olds by Somebeachsomewhere among the elite he is training. Ironically, one of the five happens to be a half-brother to Tall Dark Stranger, the 2019 Breeders Crown champion.

"I know a lot of other trainers are going full speed with their 2-year-olds," said Pelling. "I've been in about 2:20 with mine but I'm backing off right now and taking a different approach. No matter when we return, I think the schedule is going to look different and I'm not in a hurry with mine."

While the 2-year-olds take their time, Pelling has been preparing his 3-year-olds and older horses for battle with some new names joining the force. Allywag Hanover, a sixth-place finisher in last year’s Breeders Crown finale, has been seen training alongside Papi Rob Hanover and Pelling could benefit from having a one-two punch in this division. "He’s a very fast horse," said Pelling of the son of Captaintreacherous that flashed high speed early last season but had a few bumps in the road that perhaps didn’t allow him to achieve at the highest level.

The fallout after some major indictments last month has given Pelling the opportunity to train a few additional horses and he noted that Springsteen has officially returned to the Garden State. "I was offered a few of Rene’s (Allard) horses to train," said Pelling. "Chris (Ryder) had this horse early and he told me a bit about him." Always a very fast horse, Springsteen’s racing career has had its highs and lows. The 5-year-old by Rock N Roll Heaven was qualified and ready to race in March at the same time most racetracks shuttered.

While most of his stock was not ready to race at the time of the closings, Caviart Ally was more than ready as she came off a few qualifiers, with a bristling 1:49 4/5 mile in her seasonal debut on March 6. It was technically a prep race for Caviart Ally, who was scheduled to race in the Blue Chip Matchmaker at Yonkers. "Caviart Ally was a bit keyed up and it took me a few weeks to get her to relax. She really wanted to race," Pelling said.

Pelling's stable has transformed over the last few months, with Diamond Creek Farms' Adam Bowden entrusting the stable with some high quality racehorses and babies. Along with Allywag Hanover, the veteran pacers Blood Money and Grand Teton now reside with Pelling. "Blood Money is just a magnificent-looking specimen," Pelling said. The son of Sweet Lou has been training well for a return to action.

Pelling suggests he’d like to keep the number of head in his stable at 25, where it is right now, but is open to selling one or two of his own to leave space for something of higher quality.

It's hard to say what the 2020 stakes season will look like at this juncture, but there’s certainly reason to believe that Pelling's stable will be a major player.