91-year-old owner says 'no deal' for freshman trotter

The calls come at all hours of the day, often at night, with the question always the same: "Would you like to sell Lear Jetta?" and the answer always the same: "No."

It doesn't matter if the sellers persist, Jim McAuliffe still says no. He simply doesn't want to part with his prize 2-year-old trotting colt.

"I don't need the money," he says bluntly. "I need a good horse."

You might say that McAuliffe, who lives in Sarasota, Fla., has waited a lifetime for a horse like Lear Jetta. The New England native is 91 years old and has been following harness racing since he was a youngster.

"Greyhound was the best damn trotter that ever lived," he says, reliving his memories of seeing the great gelding in the late 1930s.

McAuliffe knows he has a good trotter, too, in Lear Jetta, who goes into Friday's Breeders Crown eliminations with 10 wins in 11 starts. His only loss was by a head in the Arden Downs Stake at The Meadows in early August.

"We found out he was sick that night," says McAuliffe.

McAuliffe says that he picked Lear Jetta out of the 2006 Harrisburg yearling sale on pedigree alone, and then let trainer Bobby Myers pass judgment on the colt's conformation.

"Two opinions are better than one," says McAuliffe.

Even in the early stages of training, Myers knew they had selected a special trotter. Once the colt started racing and winning, the phone calls started. McAuliffe says that Myers practically had to hang out a sign that said, "He doesn't want to sell him."

"I've had people say to me that they'll pay me whatever I want, but I'm not selling," says Mc Auliffe.

The son of Lindy Lane continued winning, often by impressive margins. He hasn't been beaten since August and in late September he romped to a 1:55.3f mark at Chester Downs. That tied Adrian Chip's world record for freshman trotters on a five-eighths mile track. 

More recently, Lear Jetta polished off his elimination heat and final in the Matron Stake at Dover Downs. Driver Tim Tetrick came first-over with Lear Jetta in the final and drew clear to win by two lengths.

McAuliffe, who retired after a career in management for the telephone company, watches Lear Jetta's races on TV from his home in Florida. In his younger years, he drove some races at tracks in New England. He has been using Myers, a Delaware native, as his trainer for about seven years.

McAuliffe will be glued to his TV when Lear Jetta races on the Breeders Crown elimination on Friday, hoping for another victory. He's been around the sport most of his life, so he knows that there are no sure things in horse racing. 

One sure thing, however, is that McAuliffe doesn't want to sell Lear Jetta. He's waited a lifetime for this horse. (Breeders Crown)

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