Yonkers: Sheppard Final contender In The Arsenal is big on talent
If He’s Watching’s performance in the Meadowlands Pace proved one thing, it was that size really doesn’t matter. Trainer Kelvin Harrison has a son of American Ideal just like the Pace winner named In The Arsenal. The colt wasn’t that big at last fall’s Harrisburg auction and perhaps that was one of the reason’s why he didn’t meet the reserve and was retained by White Birch Farms. After capturing one of the two Sheppard Pace eliminations last week, In The Arsenal landed post two for the final and is the likely choice to capture the $125,000 signature two-year-old event at Yonkers Raceway on Saturday night.
“I’ve liked this colt from the start,” said Harrison of In The Arsenal.
The trainer has known White Birch Farms’ owner Mike Parisi for a long time and had the good fortune to get to train this horse. “I bought a filly from the White Birch consignment,” Harrison said. “When this colt didn’t sell, they asked me if I wanted to train him and I said yes.”
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The 14th foal from the mare Ladyotra, In The Arsenal cruised to victory pacing in 1:56 2/5 while going virtually wire-to-wire in his elimination.
Much like He’s Watching, In The Arsenal showed slickness around the four-turns of the half-mile track at Yonkers and appears to be pointed in the right direction. Eric Goodell has the driving assignment on Saturday with the other elimination winner Cartoon Daddy (George Brennan) to get started from post five.
“If everything goes right I expect him to win this race,” said Harrison, confident that he’s done right by the colt thus far and has him in the condition required to win a major stakes race.
Following the Sheppard, In The Arsenal is staked pretty well for a colt that didn’t bring enough money at auction.
“He’s paid into the New York Sire Stakes, The Breeders Crown and the stakes races at the Red Mile,” Harrison said of In The Arsenal.
Yonkers offers a dozen races on its Saturday night program with first post scheduled for 7:10 pm. The $125,000 Lawrence B. Sheppard goes as race five.
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