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Bay colt by No Pan Intended – Double Creme – Albert Albert
BREEDERS: Oak Knoll Stables, Campbellcroft, ON
OWNERS: Frank Baker Jr., Thamesford, ON & Wray and Janet Wilson, Thorndale, ON
STATISTICS:
2009 7 3 2 0 $107,250
2008 10 2 2 1 $102,800
Totals 17 5 4 1 $210,050
LIFETIME MARK: 3, 1:51.2, Mohawk
CAREER HIGHLIGHTS & NOTES:
Purchased for $14,000 at Forest City Sale in Ontario in October of 2007
• Driver Luc Ouellette won 2002 Cup with Red River Hanover
• His sire, No Pan Intended, won 2003 US Triple Crown (Cane, Messenger, Little Brown Jug) and was named USTA Horse of the Year
At two:
• Began career with a victory at Sarnia on July 5 in 1:54.4
• Won Ontario Sires Stakes elim July 13 at Mohawk before finishing second to Nebupanezzar in the $120,000 OSS Gold Final, July 20
• Continued to race in Ontario Sires events at Flamboro, Mohawk, Kawartha and London
• Completed season with a seventh place finish in Ontario Sires Stake Super Final, November 15 at Woodbine
At three:
• Won Upper Canada elim at Georgian Downs on May 16, defeating Stonebridge Terror before finishing seventh (placed sixth through disqualification) to that one in the final
• Won Ontario Sires Stakes elim at Rideau Carleton on May 31 before finishing fifth in $130,000 OSS Gold Final on June 7
• Won $100,000 Burlington division at Mohawk on June 13 in a career best 1:51.2
• Finished a closing second, one length behind winner Dial Or Nodial, in his Cup elim
ELIMINATION QUOTES:
Frank Baker Jr., Trainer and Co-owner
“To be honest with you, I lost him for most of the mile. I was anticipating something totally different than what happened, but it worked out in the end anyway. He got away back and came home late. Boromir is a little thin right now. I’d like to get some weight on him between now and next week if I could, but he’s in real good race shape, he’s tight.”
“He don’t need a lot of work, this horse, he’s pretty easy on himself. So we’ll give him lots of time out on grass and some light jogging miles between now and next week. His main competition? All of them. It’s a good field of horses. Dial Or Nodial, Well Said and Keep It Real – I think it’s those three, just based on the speeds they went tonight.”
“I just turned 29 two days ago, so I’m a pretty young trainer to have a shot at this. Getting into this (NA Cup) is my career highlight so far for sure. I’ve won some (OSS) Golds and stuff like that, but this is the highlight. Most of his career he’s been best up front or close to it, but today Luc liked the way he got home, so I’ll talk to him. That’s why we employ him, he worries about that and I’ll worry about the other end.”
“He’s a nice horse to be around, maybe a bit of a bully around the farm. He’s really playful and likes to kick a bit in the jogger, but he’s nice to work with.”
Trainer - Frank Baker Jr.
Age: 29
Career wins through June 21, 2009: 60
Career earnings through June 21, 2009: $784,981
Frank Baker Jr., 29, hails from Thamesford, Ontario, and trains at the nearby Dorchester Fairgrounds. His father, Frank Sr., who passed away two years ago, was well-known in the area as the owner and operator of Baker Harness, which manufactured and sold race harness throughout North America. Frank Sr. also trained and raced horses as a side venture, and Frank Jr. grew up in the business. “By the age of 15, I was doing most of the work in the barn,” he recalls.
Having been taught the value of having something else to fall back on, Frank Jr. obtained his licence as a commercial and residential plumber, and still works three days a week at London-based SW Atchison, one of the largest firms in the area dealing with commercial and construction plumbing.
He currently trains eight horses including Pepsi NA Cup hopeful OK Boromir, who was purchased from the Forest City yearling sale in 2007 for the surprisingly reasonable price of $14,000.
“I’m not sure why he went so cheap,” Baker says. “He was from a really good family. He’s by No Pan Intended and he was the first foal from Double Crème, who made over $400,000 – and he’s a big, good-looking horse. I kept wondering if everyone else knew something I didn’t.” Hours after the fortuitous purchase, he offered a 50% interest in OK Boromir to Wray and Janet Wilson, with whom he’d partnered on a number of horses in the past.
Baker says his first invitation to the ‘big dance’ as a trainer hasn’t really sunk in yet. “We’re trying to keep level-headed about it, but yes, we’re enjoying all the excitement. Hopefully Boromir will look competitive out there.”
Driver – Luc Ouellette
Age: 43
Career wins through June 21, 2009: 8,088
Career earnings through June 21, 2009: $123,251,520
The nephew of Hall of Famer Mike Lachance, and one of harness racing’s premier drivers for more than a decade, Luc Ouellette had been based primarily at The Meadowlands in recent years and had won driving titles in four of his last five years there.
But Ouellette made a surprise announcement during the fall of 2003, declaring that the Woodbine/Mohawk circuit would become his new home base prior to the start of the 2004 season. He would subsequently win WEG’s drivers’ title in the 2004 and 2005 seasons. The 2005 season also saw Ouellette guide three-year-old trotting filly Fan Favourite to a WEG Award.
His services have been in demand for many of the major local races and among his notable wins was the 2002 Pepsi North America Cup with Red River Hanover (stakes record of 1:48.4) and 2002 Fan Hanover Stakes with the millionaire filly Worldly Beauty. In 2002 and 2003, Ouellette was also paired with another standout filly pacer, Armbro Amoretto, who won the 2002 Breeders Crown Two Year-Old Filly Pace at Woodbine and the 2003 Mistletoe Shalee at the Meadowlands.
In 2004, he had a mammoth evening on September 4 at Woodbine when four of his five winners recorded sub-1:50 miles (the first time a driver had ever accomplished the feat). One of those victories came aboard the world class pacing mare Bunny Lake in the Roses Are Red Stakes. In addition to her 1:49 triumph in a Roses Are Red elimination, Bunny Lake became the first female to pace back-to-back 1:49 miles. Later in 2004, Ouellette reset the Mohawk all-age track record in a division of the Simcoe Stakes when he guided Blissed Out to the wire in a sizzling 1:48.4, and on October 28 he won six of the 11 races on the programme.
Ouellette has several other major stakes wins to his credit, including the Little Brown Jug, Breeders Crown, Metro Pace and Woodrow Wilson.
The native of St. Augustin, Quebec, who ranks high on harness racing’s all-time dash leader’s list with over 7,600 wins and counting. He won the 1999 North American earnings title with more than $10-million. He cut his driving teeth at New York’s Monticello and Roosevelt Raceway’s in the late 1980’s before landing at Yonkers Raceway in 1990 and led the standings there from 1993-1995.
Other top horses he’s driven include two-time Breeders Crown champion Red Bow Tie, millionaire trotting filly Fern, and 1998 Metro Pace winner Grinfromeartoear. Ouellette was also a recipient of the 1992 U.S.T.A. Harness Writers’ Rising Star Award. In 1995 at Yonkers, he put his name in the record books when he became the first driver to win nine races on a single program. Ouellette shared the 1996 U.S.T.A. Driver of the Year honour with Tony Morgan.
Last year, Ouellette surpassed the $3 million mark in purses for the 15th consecutive season and reached the 8,000 win plateau in October. A season highlight was his win with trotting mare Brigham Dream in the Breeders Crown.