Dan Patch champ in Classic

May 25, 2007

Artzina gave a giant boost to the career of young trainer Dylan Davis when he took home the Dan Patch Award as the 2006 Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year. The defending champion looks to take Davis to even greater heights this season, beginning in Saturday�s eliminations for the $500,000 Anthony Abbatiello New Jersey Classic at the Meadowlands.

Artzina is rated at 3-1 in the first of the two $25,000 eliminations, race two, and will start from post three with driver John Campbell in the sulky. The top 10 finishers in each elimination advance to the $500,000 final, the richest event in harness racing restricted to state-bred racehorses, on June 2.

Davis, who will turn 30 on May 25, exceeded $1 million in earnings for the first time in 2006 and is on pace for another personal best season this year with just under $600,000 already banked.

�Things have changed since his success,� said Davis, who is based at Gateway Farm in Harrington, Del. �He took me places I didn�t think I�d ever go and I�ve got more horses now. Last year, he drew a lot of offers, but he�s never been for sale. He could be one of those horses of a lifetime.�

In a wide-open year, Artzina was the most consistent of his division from start to finish in 2006. His major wins included the Goshen Cup in 1:53.2 and New Jersey Sire Stakes final in 1:52.3 at the Meadowlands, and the Matron final in 1:52.1 at Dover Downs. He took his mark of 1:51.1 in a Breeders Crown elimination at Woodbine, before finishing third in the final. Artzina was second to Yankee Skyscaper ($545,500) in earnings for the year, with $486,229 banked while winning seven of 13 starts.

�Winning the division and the Dan Patch Award was a very big feather in my cap,� Davis said. �It was the biggest thrill I�ve ever had. The win that gave me the best feeling was the Matron final. It was at home here in Delaware, and my family and friends were all there. The gutsy way he won that final was special, too. The other race I liked was his Woodrow Wilson elimination when he went nose to nose with Mr. Apples in 1:51.3 at the Meadowlands.

�There were a lot of good 2 year olds and nobody dominated,� he continued. �There are probably five or six of them that were right there every week. It was wide open and it�ll probably be the same way this season.�

After tuning up with two morning qualifiers, Artzina made his 2007 debut in a leg of the New Jersey Sire Stakes last Saturday night at the Meadowlands. He finished fifth in the race, which was won by Fresh Deck in 1:52.4 over a "sloppy" track.

�I was pretty happy with his first start of the year,� he said. �He got away quite a ways back, it was muddy and nasty and it seemed, all night, the horses that got away near the back weren�t making up much ground. They weren�t the type of conditions you want for his first start of the year.�

Davis has made some adjustments to the colt�s equipment this year, aimed getting him to relax more during a race.

�In his 2-year-old year, I changed him from a blind bridle to a Kant See Bak,� he noted. �This year, I went to a pull-down Kant See Bak. It seems the more he sees, the more he stays relaxed. In the first qualifier, he was open, then after the second one, John (Campbell) asked me to put a set of pull-down blinds because he didn�t have that spark when the horses came to him.

�I was pleased with the way he transformed from two to three,� he added. �He�s settled down and is a lot more mature now. Last year, as a 2 year old, we had a lot of trouble with him. John Campbell was always telling me he was a little hot, but now the colt is a total gentleman.�

Artzina will have a full dance card this season, and there are two races, in particular, that Davis would love to see his colt win.

�I�d like to win the Meadowlands Pace or the Little Brown Jug, or both,� Davis said.

Artzina (Artiscape-Koutzina) is a homebred owned by New York City advertising mogul Kal Liebowitz. Co-owner Marc Rubash of West New York, N.J., purchased a share in the colt last June. Davis was introduced to Liebowitz through Michael Casalino, another owner for whom he trains horses. (Meadowlands)

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