Harness: When the catch-drivers sit on the sidelines

The Meadowlands has been running weekly vignettes titled "Inside The Driver's Mind" that have been enlightening to gamblers and extremely educational. We tried to get inside one trainer's mind this past week concerning his view of catch-drivers in baby races. Andrew Harris didn't need a chair, microphone or camera to reveal what was obvious about the ten babies he sent postward on Monday.

"I didn't want to use catch-drivers," Harris said emphatically.

For Harris, who has a stable of 50 head, currently sending out 20 percent on a given day of qualifiers at Gaitway Farm without catch-drivers seemed abnormal, but there's a method to what some may think is Harris's madness.

"I just wanted them to get a good experience the first time out," said Harris, who utilized assistant trainer James Foley on a few of those youngsters he couldn't drive.

"I understand catch-drivers have a job. They need to go out and decide which horse they will pick in a particular race," said Harris. "For me, this first start was about getting the feel of an actual race for many of these horses. It's different when you get behind the gate. I just wanted to be sure after the first trip that I could make the equipment adjustments if necessary."

For Harris, the approach won't be long-lasting, but in some ways it already is. While some larger and smaller stables automatically look to catch-drivers to "test" their colts and fillies of both gaits, Harris is a bit more consumed by the deeper picture, with a fear that the first trip, if handled in a certain way, could be detrimental to the horse's future career.

"I just don't want to see more horses forced to go all-out through the wire," said Harris. "I don't want my horses to finish the race tired."

It's a slippery slope, not just for Harris but for most trainers, as despite the numerous training miles these horses have put in prior to the first baby race, it's virtually impossible to know whether the actual race will go in 2:00 or 1:54. Catch-drivers may not have the same feel for the 2-year-olds that the trainers do when it comes to knowledge of training trips, and thus may not know the horse is being stretched to its limits by an accelerated pace.

"I was happy with the way all of my horses raced," said Harris, who did a pretty decent job in the bike and actually found the winner's circle.

"I'm a trainer and not a driver," is a point he emphasized.

Despite what he said, Harris was able to get one winner from his stable on Monday. The He's Watching-sired homebred Watch Her Dance scored in 1:55 2/5 over the Ron Burke-trained No Foolin in a race for pacing fillies.

"I'd say that's a 1:51 mile with Yannick (Gingras) driving," Harris said.

The trainer was a bit more amped up about Twin B Deluxe, a New York-sired pacing colt by American Ideal who finished a solid second behind a Burke-trained runaway named Code Cracker in a 1:56 3/5 mile.

"He was well within himself," said Harris of Twin B Deluxe, a $37,000 yearling that's the third foal from the Somebeachsomewhere-sired JK Isn'tshelovely.

The pacing colts Bridgestone and Xmarxthespot were content to finish third and fourth, respectively, in another baby race on Monday, completing their initial miles in hailing distance of a Burke and Joe Holloway trainee. Bridgestone, a son of Heston Blue Chip from Winbak Farm, is the ninth foal out of the $1 million-winning Stonebridge Kisses, she a daughter of Artiscape. Bridgestone is a half-brother to the 1:48 3/5 performer Covered Bridge.

"He was just a $12,000 yearling," Harris said of Bridgestone. "It's a much better feeling when an inexpensive horse has ability than when a six-figure horse can't go forward."

Xmarxthespot paced in 1:56 1/5 for James Foley while not fully extended, and there's plenty of reason for optimism considering his solid pedigree. Xmarxthespot is from the first crop of Huntsville and bred by Steve Jones and Mark Mullen. The Somebeachsomewhere colt is the third foal out of Thirty X, and that makes him a half-brother to a pair of very fast stakes winners in The Greek Freak (1:49 4/5) and Rifleman, a 1:51 2/5 juvenile stakes winner. Thirty X is the only Rocknroll Hanover mare out of the $2 million-winning Glowing Report.

Shadows Dancers paced in 1:55 3/5 while finishing third for Harris in the first qualifier at Gaitway on Monday. She's a daughter of Always B Miki and first foal out of Dancing Shadows K, a daughter of Shadow Play with more than five generations of blood from mares owned by the late Bob Key.

"I've got two trotters that will be in this Monday (June 21) at Gaitway," said Harris, who will end up starting 12 of the 13 juveniles entrusted to him. "I'm going to enter the ones that raced Monday (June 14) at Gaitway at the Meadowlands a week from Saturday (June 26). They will have catch-drivers."

Harris trained None Bettor A for a long stint in 2020, but the speedy import moved to trainer Shane Tritton towards the end of last season. The Bettor's Delight-sired gelding returned this winter under the care of Nancy Takter, but that union ended in April when Harris had the horse return to his stable. None Bettor A had just one start on May 2 for Harris before going on the shelf.

"He had a bleeding issue and rest was the only solution," said Harris.

None Bettor A was treated like one of Harris's 2-year-olds this past Monday in a qualifier.

"I didn't want to see him beaten up on the front-end," Harris said, explaining why he chose to drive None Bettor A.

That was smart thinking, as Joe Bongiorno took Dragon Said down the road in the final Gaitway qualifier and posted a 1:50 mile with a 26 1/5 final quarter. None Bettor A trailed him in second throughout the mile.

"I was super-happy with that mile," said Harris. "I took a hold of him towards the wire."

Harris said that None Bettor A will be heading to Yonkers for his pari-mutuel return.