Coleman contingent now in New Jersey

April 25, 2008

Already a top trainer in her native Canada, Casie Coleman is expanding her stable with a string of horses racing at the Meadowlands. The 27 year old has a list of credits that few conditioners could match at her young age, including two world champions, American Ideal (1:47.4, $786,055) and Moving Pictures (1:49.3, $1,138,147), and a pair of O�Brien Awards as Canada�s Trainer of the Year. This season, she aims to add to those accomplishments with a division based at Showplace Farms in Englishtown, N.J.

�It�s going to be a busy summer going back and forth,� said Coleman, from her 40-horse barn at Classy Lane Farm in Cambridge, Ont. �I�ll probably do it every other week. I have six assistant trainers. My guy in New Jersey right now is Andrew Harris. I�ll rotate them once a month because they all have families. I have about 10 horses in New Jersey and plan on getting bigger with some stakes colts when I open my doors up down there.

�I want to mainly race at the Meadowlands,� she continued. �Obviously, the money is a factor. At the Meadowlands, I plan on having one for each class. I lost a few shakes there the other night. It�s hard because you often only have the horse for one week before it gets claimed again. The other reason I�m set up (in New Jersey) is that I have a lot of stakes colts that are either New Jersey or New York-sired. Instead of shipping them back and forth, I have a base there.�

On Saturday night, she will send out two of her top pacing mares in the $75,000 Thomas Strada Memorial at the Meadowlands.

�I have three mares in the open class and can only race one (at Woodbine),� she said. �That�s why the other two, Guestimate and KG Katriona are down there in the Strada Memorial.�

Guestimate and KG Katriona will race as an entry, starting from posts seven and nine, respectively. Although she is in search of her first win this year, Guestimate has earned more than $350,000. She will make her Meadowlands debut on Saturday night, while KG Katriona flashed a final quarter of :26.4 in finishing a strong second last week. KG Katriona has won 23 of 76 career starts and $483,622.

�Both Guestimate and KG Katriona have been solid open caliber mares, but basically they�re about one step below the top,� Coleman said. �I was surprised KG Katriona raced well (at the Meadowlands) last week because I couldn�t get her on a truck until late Thursday night and she had to race on Friday. She drew the nine hole this time, but she�ll be good again. Guestimate has post seven, but both mares are on their toes right now.�

In addition to stakes-quality horses, Coleman has built her stable on high-end claimers. The decision to expand her business grew out of feeling limited by the racing opportunities available in Canada.

�The timing of coming to the Meadowlands has to do with Woodbine�s racing program,� she said. �I like to race in a lot of high-priced claimers and the highest offered at Woodbine right now is $27,000 to $33,000. So you can only really race one horse in that class. They do write higher claimers every other week on the condition sheet, such as $40,000, $50,000 and $60,000, but they don�t fill. A couple of the horses I sent to the Meadowlands are worth more than $33,000 and have too much money made, but they can�t go in the preferred (at Woodbine).

�Also, there are no 4-year-old claimers (at Woodbine),� she continued. �They would have to go in an open for 4 year olds. The other claimer is $18,000 to $22,000. So, basically I can only race in two claiming races here. My owners want more action.�

Coleman was active in the claims box at the Meadowlands last week and will start two new purchases on Saturday night. Fenman, a $55,000 claim, steps up to the $75,000 level after a wire-to-wire victory. He will start from post four in the second race.

�I like Fenman, but we claimed him last week and I didn�t have a chance to do much with him,� she said. �I flew home on Sunday and I think I�ll come back to New Jersey this weekend. I�ve got him up in class, but I think he can handle it.�

Winslow Hustler was a $40,000 claim and remains in that class after a disappointing effort last week. He will start from post one in the eighth race.

�Winslow Hustler won three in a row and looked like much the best in that $40,000 claiming class,� she said. �When you claim a horse (at Woodbine) you have to move them up 20 percent, but there�s no claiming rule in New Jersey. He didn�t race well the night I claimed him. He�s got a few issues to take care of. He looks like a trip horse and he drew the rail.�

Coleman will also send out Object Of Art, a horse she shipped to the Meadowlands last month, in race 11.

�He was in my barn in the first place and I sent him down there to race with Jacob Hartline,� she said. �I had a few others there racing under Jeff Smith before I decided to come down myself. That horse has a weak immune system and got sick. He raced much better last week. John Campbell told me he had tons of pace. He fits that lower condition class.� (Meadowlands)

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