Harness: Trainer Ray Schnittker preparing his crew for stakes action

On Sunday (April 28) trainer Ray Schnittker had a pair of sophomores from his stable making their seasonal debuts at The Downs at Mohegan Sun Pocono and he was not sitting behind them in the race. The veteran trainer-driver has generally had a “hands on” mentality when it comes to preparing and racing his top prospects but on this occasion he ceded the responsibility to Mark MacDonald.

“I put Mark up on one and then decided to let him drive both,” said Schnittker. “I had 30 horses to train on Monday morning and it would have been a longer night on Sunday if I went and drove.”

Far from giving up driving all together, Schnittker has tried to combine the two aspects of harness racing and understands the need to step back. “I’ve got about 36 or 37 horses in training now. It’s probably about seven too many,” Schnittker said. “I’m still going to drive but not as often.”

What Schnittker has done for the longest time is find and develop top-level pacing and trotting talent. On Monday night (April 28), the third of his three “stakes-ready” sophomores debuted over the same Pocono surface and Branquinho was near perfection, scoring his maiden victory in a sparkling 1:53 mile with Tyler Buter subbing in the sulky this time. “He’s a brother to Huntsville that we had to stop with last year after he developed pneumonia,” said Schnittker. “He’s a nice horse.” The son of Somebeachsomewhere doesn’t appear to have the size or perhaps the long-term endurance of his more famous older brother though he appears to have the gait required to do well in stakes competition. “He’s eligible for the Rooney as is Captain Malicious, but Hickfromfrenchlick isn’t,” said Schnittker.

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Branquinho won again on May 4 at The Meadows in 1:50 4/5 and is entered on May 11 at The Downs at Pocono in race 10. Captain Malicious finished third in 1:51 on May 4 and is in the 8th race on May 11 at Pocono.]

The latter two colts made their season’s debut on Sunday in winning fashion with the trainer lamenting a lack of staking for the 2018 Sheppard-winning Hickfromfrenchlick.

“I’ve got him eligible throughout New York and the Empire Breeders. Plus I made him eligible for the Grand Circuit stakes in Indiana late in the year when there are conflicts,” Schnittker said. “It’s tough because he’s come back very well.”

A son of So Surreal, Hickfromfrenchlick was an impressive 2-year-old that was ready early and quite advanced, capturing New York Sire Stakes events after winning the Sheppard but winding up fourth in the championship final at Yonkers.

“He was a horse that I could never get sound,” said Schnittker of Hickfromfrenchlick. “This year he’s a different horse.”

Hickfromfrenchlick won four of his seven starts as 2-year-old with earnings of $136,541. He’s from the Art Major-sired My Girl’s A Star, a filly Schnittker developed that also finished fourth in her New York Sire Stakes championship freshman final behind the impeccable See You At Peelers in 2010. His sire is the sub-1:50 son of Somebeachsomewhere, So Surreal, the first stallion by the noted late-sire that has already produced quality from his first few crops on the track.

Schnittker tends to be partial to another son of Somebeachsomewhere and that is Captaintreacherous. “I just love him as a sire,” said Schnittker, who when questioned if the remark was that of a stallion shareholder, responded, “I only wish I had bought a share.”

Schnittker did purchase Captain Malicious for $105,000 in the fall of 2017 and for the better part of last year’s primary training stages believed he had a star. “All along I thought he was going to be a top-five type of horse,” Schnittker said. “It’s a big difference when they are only a top 15.”

Still Schnittker’s disappointment was tempered to some degree by two wins in eight starts and earnings of $70K as a freshman. “He’s come back well and I was very happy with his first race the other night (a 1:53 4/5 victory),” said Schnittker. Captain Malicious, a half brother to the standout freshman of 2009 Malicious, is also being pointed towards the Rooney with eliminations slated on May 18 at Yonkers.

Speaking of Yonkers, Schnittker would love to see a few changes made to his base track and one concerns a change in the banking of the first turn. “I think if they could bank it more like Northfield it would make a big difference,” Schnittker said of the Yonkers surface. Unfortunately the changeover in ownership has not helped advance that cause as yet. On another side of the product equation at Yonkers, the trainer is more than vocal about the condition system’s inadequacies. “It’s just ridiculous that the conditions go from Non-winners of $10,000 to non-winners of $20,000 to non-winners of $30,000,” Schnittker said. “So you could be racing a horse in non-winners of $10,000 and win and have $10,500 on your card and be forced to race in non-winners of $20,000 against a horse that’s been racing in non-winners of $30,000.” Schnittker’s frustration with that approach leads to what he sees as obvious but those in power tend to be oblivious towards. “So you wind up with a 70-1 shot (his NW 10,500) versus a 1-9 shot. It just doesn’t make any sense.” Schnittker said.

On the sophomore trotting front this season, Schnittker’s stable is hoping that the well-bred Jezzy’s Legacy will show more consistency this year. The third foal and first by Donato Hanover from the $834K winning Jezzy, showed plenty of promise last year in a division with multiple superstars. A finalist in the Jim Doherty Memorial last year after a solid performance in her elimination, she would go on to win in the Pennsylvania Sire Stakes. “I don’t know what it was with her but she wouldn’t stay flat when Tim (Tetrick) drove her for some reason,” Schnittker said.

Jezzys Legacy was a decent third on Tuesday at Pocono in a 1:54 2/5 mile behind a pair of 4-year-olds. “She’s going to Harrah’s Philadelphia for the first Pa. Sire Stakes,” said Schnittker of the May 10 engagement.

With freshmen soon to be hitting the racetrack, Schnittker believes he has a pair by Captaintreacherous that could be heard from this year in Captain Groovy, a $90,000 Lexington Selected purchase, and Deal The Cards, a $70,000 buy that’s a three-quarter brother to I’m A Big Deal.