When horseplayers look at the past performances they discern a horse's condition by the effort in the most recent outing. Often missing from a winning equation is the time elapsed between the last race and the current one. On November 26 trainer Noel Daley revealed only after the Valley Victory final that the race winner Volume Eight did not provide him with similar confidence to those who had backed the Chapter Seven-sired colt to 3-5 favoritism. "He had a bad week," said Daley, describing what he and Volume Eight went through before getting to the Meadowlands on November 26. Even driver Andy McCarthy was more than concerned with the actions before the start of the Valley Victory. "He can get a little pacey," said Daley, who spoke with McCarthy after the race about some anxious moments behind the gate and after the start. Still, following another breathtaking performance in capturing the Valley Victory, it is Volume Eight that stands as the probable pre-2023 Hambletonian favorite. This time horseplayers and Daley will have to wait months, not weeks, to find out the results. In between that time Daley doesn't expect Volume Eight to return to training until February, though there may be some activity in advance of that. "We had an offer for him before the Valley Victory," Daley said on Monday. "He had been vetted out." That deal fell apart, but the trainer and part-owner suggested there may be others who will take its place. "There's someone else interested and if that deal goes through we'll probably sell half the horse. You never know what's going to happen from 2 to 3," said Daley, implying that it was worth taking some money at the end of Volume Eight's freshman season just in case the horse or the competition changes in 2023. Daley suggested that the Empire Breeders Classic, the premier event for sophomore trotters in New York, would be a likely first stop during Volume Eight's 3-year-old season. That Daley was able to find Volume Eight at any horse auction is a mystery to some, including this writer. Though he is a son of now super-sire Chapter Seven, the maternal bloodline wouldn't cause most pedigree pundits to take notice. "I have to give Martti all of the credit for finding him," Daley said, referring to Martti Ala-Seppala, a friend from Finland who has been giving Daley advice for more than 10 years. "He does all the work looking at all the videos." In those videos Ala-Seppala absolutely loved what he saw in Volume Eight. "We usually don't like to go much past $75,000 on any yearling, but he told me I should go to $150,000 to buy him." Daley paid just $70,000 for Volume Eight at the 2021 Harrisburg sale. "I guess the pedigree snobs weren't interested in him," said Daley. "If you look at his pedigree the dam was a good racehorse sired by Encore Encore. You look at the second dam and she's sired by American Mike, not even American Winner." The maternal family has many names from the late Bob Key's rather large collection of breeding stock. Still, despite what might be considered weakness in the maternal side, Ala-Seppala saw something special in Volume Eight, and now Daley and his partners have what appears to be a truly gifted horse. "I could tell he had ability from the start," said Daley. "But I couldn't say I saw the kind of mile he trotted in the Kindergarten at the time." The 1:52 scorcher on November 11 was eye-catching in that Volume Eight made two moves before gaining control in what looked like a quick opening half of 55 4/5 and then relaxed in the third quarter before a 27 flat final sprint. "Andy [McCarthy] got off the bike and told me he thought he could have trotted in 1:50 and change," said Daley. "And Andy rarely says something like that." ► Sign up for our FREE DRF Harness Digest Newsletter Regardless of the final time, what's apparent about Volume Eight is that he's just another in the long line of potential champions by Chapter Seven, a stallion that some could argue has not gotten the cream of the broodmare crop afforded many others in the business. As a stallion, Chapter Seven had indeed elevated many a horse from humble maternal lines. While Daley can look forward to next year's major trotting stakes for Volume Eight, he's more than happy for the owners of Pebble Beach, who will move on to stallion duty based in Kentucky for the 2023 season. "Earlier in the year I really didn't know if that was going to happen for sure," said Daley of Pebble Beach. "We hit some bumps in the road with him in Kentucky, and I wasn't sure he was going to be a stallion. That all changed with his performances in the Breeders Crown elimination and final. I'd say they were better than his North America Cup win." Pebble Beach followed up the Breeders Crown victory with a solid effort in capturing the Matron Stakes. The deal with Diamond Creek in Kentucky is a win-win according to Daley. "The program down there is just unbelievable. Right now, foals from mares that reside in Kentucky for 180 days race for a lot of money," Daley said. "There's an additional 50 percent bonus for those foals when the mares are bred to a Kentucky stallion." In other words, breeding to Pebble Beach, a grandson of Somebeachsomewhere by way of his sire Downbytheseaside, could make those yearlings extremely popular in 2025. Daley gives credit for much of his yearling success to Ala-Seppala, who pushed him to purchase Anoka Hanover for just $35,000 in 2019. "The year before that her dam sold a yearling for $100,000 that didn't make it," said Daley. "Martti told me that one was no good and this was the one you have to buy." Anoka Hanover would go on to win the 2020 Goldsmith Maid and earned nearly $800,000 during her career. Anoka Hanover was bred early this year to Kentucky-based stallion Gimpanzee, another son of Chapter Seven. Daley remains a part-owner in Anoka Hanover and should reap the benefits when the mare's first foal is born in the Bluegrass State in 2023. Looking to build on a very strong 2022 from his stable, Daley went to this year's auctions and veered away from his past, at least when it came to spending. "We spent a little more this year at the sales," Daley said. "But we had a very good year." Volume Eight could become the third son or daughter of Chapter Seven to capture the Hambletonian in the last six events, perhaps following in the hoof steps of this year's winner Cool Papa Bell and the now-retired 2018 champion Atlanta.