Harness: Toscano hopes the road to the Hambletonian is 'Guaranteed'

Over the winter trainers go through their daily chores dreaming of the future. In the spring, a dose of reality tends to set in, for some dashing those initial observations and for others further cementing high aspirations. For trainer Linda Toscano, the winter started with her being offered two returning 3-year-olds to train. As the calendar soon turns to May, just one of the pair remain but that one could be rather special.

“I would say he’s a diamond in the rough,” Toscano said about Guaranteed, a son of Muscle Hill that she took over this past December. “He’s just a phenomenally gaited horse.”

That Toscano has been in the position to train extremely gifted trotters, most recently the sensation Walner, adds credence to her early belief in this son of Muscle Hill and his potential. “He’s just a beautiful horse. But there’s still a lot he needs to do to get to the top level,” Toscano said with a note of caution.

The same is true for all trotters crossing into pari-mutuel territory this time of year, but after two stunning qualifiers racing fans will get their first nighttime glimpse of Guaranteed on Friday night at The Meadowlands.

“He’s eligible to the Hambletonian,” Toscano said with a note of optimism.

Who could blame her for that?

Two April qualifiers were more than impressive as Tim Tetrick guided the colt from off the pace in both endeavors and each time Guaranteed shifted into a high gear in the homestretch. On April 6 at The Meadowlands it was a 1:56 1/5 mile with a snappy 27 3/5 final quarter under less than ideal conditions. A week later Guaranteed sprinted home in 26 3/5 at the tail end of a 1:54 4/5 clocking, setting him up quite nicely for his debut.

“I told Timmy (Tetrick) in January that I think I have a nice Muscle Hill colt,” said Toscano. Thus far Guaranteed has that presence on the racetrack of some of the past elite horses Toscano has trained, namely Chapter Seven and Market Share, the 2012 Hambletonian winner.

Spring is also the time many of last year’s 2-year-olds return to qualifying action and trainers that were forced to make excuses for issues last year are faced with the reality of time off to correct such problems. When Captain Crunch qualified this past week at The Meadowlands, all eyes were on the defending juvenile champion as they should be. The son of Captaintreacherous cruised around the track effortlessly and sprinted home in 25 2/5 completing an eye-catching 1:50 1/5 mile. Hardly noticed in the event was second place finisher Major March, who was clocked in a respectable 1:51 mile with a final quarter of 25 4/5.

“He was a horse we had a lot of trouble with last year,” said Toscano of the Art Major-sired homebred and half-brother to current 4-year-old early-season standout Mach N Cheese. “We got him after he had trained down last year and he was a handful. He had a ton of talent, but we couldn’t get him to settle and each race was a different sort of adventure,”

By the time August came around Toscano had had enough of the antics of Major March, who had gone winless to date while trying to gain education racing from off the pace. “I just told Tim (Tetrick) to send him at Saratoga to see what we have,” Toscano said. “Major March won a New York Sire Stakes Excelsior division going down the road in a 1:54 1/5 mile at least proving that the talent did in fact exist.

That effort last August hardly suggests that Major March would be tracking Captain Crunch so intently in his first qualifier as a sophomore and while Toscano was surprised she was not quite shocked by the outing.

“We’ve had the opportunity to train him over the winter in groups and educate him,” said Toscano. Apparently the pupil has grown up mentally during the winter and if this past week’s effort is any indication, he could be a force in the New York Sire Stakes this year, far away from Captain Crunch and company.

While the 1:51 mile in a qualifier is shocking to some of the old guard in this sport, Toscano understands what the sport has become and has adjusted her thinking and training to prepare all of her horses. “Sure I’m concerned with how fast they have to go from the start,” said Toscano. “These horses are so much different these days. They look more like thoroughbreds than they did 20 years ago. I try to give them a solid foundation. In other words, lots of trips between 2:15 and 2:20.”

Prior to entering Major March to qualify, Toscano suggested she trained the colt two weeks out between 1:58-1:59 and then came back a week prior with a mile between 1:55 and 1:56.

“With a name horse like a Walner you have to be ready to go a big trip and do it on the front end otherwise you could damage a reputation,” said Toscano. “With the other ones they just have to be able to follow and as long as they are fit they’ll go where they have to go.”

Toscano has another returning sophomore that could be ready to shine in 2019 and that’s the Bettor’s Delight-sired Best In Show. “He’s a typical Cam Fella-line horse,” said Toscano, “He’ll only go as much as he needs to go.”

Best In Show was looking to be a player in the juvenile ranks last season before he sored up and Toscano quit with him. Needless to say, with Best In Show being the third foal and first colt from the $2.4 million winner Put On A Show, expectations should run high.

Toscano of course has high expectations for Breeders Crown elimination winner No Mas Amor, a 1:49 1/5 performer last year from the first crop of Sweet Lou.

“I like the way Sisters Promise (Father Patrick) is coming back. She was a little willful last year,” Toscano said. “She’s in to qualify this week.”

With freshman nearly ready to hit the racetrack, Toscano pointed to a pair of Captaintreacherous-sired fillies without naming names.

As spring rolls into summer dreams may become reality for the Toscano stable.