Mohawk: Keystone Velocity looks for respect in Canadian Pacing Derby

It must take an awful lot to gain the respect of those who decide the sport’s top performers. Rene Allard, who will send out Keystone Velocity in Saturday’s C$615K Canadian Pacing Derby on Saturday at Mohawk, hopes that his 9-year-old will garner enough attention to perhaps crack the sport’s Top Ten list.

Somehow mired in 11th place this week even after a scintillating 51 3/5 final half clocking in one of last week’s two Derby trials, Keystone Velocity will look to capture one of Canada’s most prestigious horse races for Allard and his brother, driver Simon.

“He’s always been a great horse,” Rene Allard said on Tuesday. “When Simon drove him at Pocono and he went a 48 and change mile in the slop, you knew he was something special.”

Allard didn’t own or train Keystone Velocity at that point, but despite the advancing age of the son of Western Hanover he was keenly interested in the acquisition.

“I couldn’t buy him myself; especially a horse of that age. Thankfully I had owners who were supportive,” Allard said.

Purchased last October, Keystone Velocity in some ways was a fresh horse. “There was an ownership conflict that kept him out of racing,” said Allard, referring to nearly two years of inactivity on Keystone Velocity’s resume.

Timing is everything in sports and in the case of Allard and Company’s acquisition, 2017 has gone from what could have been a good year into a potentially great year. The confluence of his ability and some incredibly good racing luck, as well as the retirement of last year’s Horse of the Year Always B Miki and the sidelining of the 2015 Horse of the Year Wiggle It Jiggleit, has made all the difference for Keystone Velocity.

“I think we’ve gotten some good breaks,” said Allard. “We drew well in the two biggest races and were able to work out a pocket trip.”

Indeed Keystone Velocity made the most of post four in the Levy final with Dan Dube executing the perfect trip and an 11-1 upset victory.

Again in July in the Ben Franklin at Pocono, Keystone Velocity outkicked favored Mel Mara on the wire after Simon Allard worked out the pocket journey from the pole position starting slot.

You have to be careful when handling a top aged performer because the races can get testy and Allard appears to have figured out the road map for success, at least in 2017.

“We’ve tried to race him from off the pace when we can in elimination races. The idea is to make the final and hopefully have him at his best. The Levy is a very tough series and you can’t be on the front end all of the time,” said Allard.

The strategy worked out incredibly well in last week’s elimination race and what’s shocking is not that Keystone Velocity made the final after sitting eight lengths off the pace in a moderate 55 1/5 half, but that he was able to win in 1:48 2/5 from that spot.

Keystone Velocity was airborne in the stretch and that 25 1/5 clocking for the final quarter was just as eye-catching.

The final may not set up as easily as last week’s elimination victory, with some solid qualifiers coming out of the other elimination division. Rockin Ron breezed in that division in 1:47 2/5 for young driving sensation Louis Philippe Roy. “Burke’s horse Rockin Ron was very impressive,” said Allard, expecting Saturday’s contest to be a battle.

Keystone Velocity landed post two with Rockin Ron starting from post four in the Canadian Pacing Derby final, carded as race seven of a dozen on Saturday’s stakes-packed program.

Allard will be somewhat outnumbered by trainer Burke in the final as the sport’s leading conditioner sends out three, including the rugged veteran All Bets Off (post 6) with Yannick Gingras in the bike and Check Six (post 10) with Tim Tetrick picking up the assignment. Check Six scored a major upset in the Sam McKee Memorial on Hambletonian Day. All Bets Off was a solid second to Keystone Velocity in last week’s elimination heat.

McWicked landed the pole position with David Miller opting to drive for trainer Casie Coleman. The son of McArdle was a solid third coming from far back in Rockin Ron’s explosive mile.

For Allard, winning the Canadian Pacing Derby would be special. “Winning any major race with my brother driving means the world to me,” Allard said.