Illinois champ returns

Mini Me is set to return to the races Saturday night, with the now 6-year-old gelding scheduled to line up behind the gate in the $9,000 Open Pace at Pocono Downs. Although Mini Me has 17 wins in 67 career starts and more than $1.1 million in purses, he hasn't won since pacing to a career-best 1:49 win in an Invitational Aug. 2, 2003, at the Meadowlands, a span of 21 starts over the past two years.



"He is perfect; there is nothing wrong with him," co-owner Bruce Grider told The Horseman Wednesday morning, April 13. "We're trying to give him an easier first start than last year, because if he raced at the Meadowlands he would have to go in the Open immediately and they're going in 1:49, 1:48, and I didn't want to drop him that quick."



Now being trained by Ed Hart, Mini Me has qualified three times at Pocono Downs, including a 21 ¾-length romp in 1:54.4 on April 7. He hasn't made a pari-mutuel start since July 24, 2004, when he finished fourth in his Breeders Crown elimination. However, he was scratched out of the final the following week and has been sidelined since.



"He had an abscess in his right front foot and a strained suspensory in his left front," explained Grider, who shares ownership in the Illinois-bred son of Incredible Finale with his wife, Linda, and partners Roger and Dawn Samson.



Although Mini Me hasn't won a race in more than 20 months - including going zero for 11 last year--Grider said he hasn't stood in the winner's circle himself since the horse captured an elimination for the Prix de Montreal at Hippodrome de Montreal on May 25, 2002. He said he won't be able to attend the race at Pocono because of a prior commitment in Illinois, but that he will have a laptop computer with him and he hopes to watch via the Internet.



"Hopefully, it will be nice to get a confidence-builder with a win," said Grider. "I can't fault anything with him right now. The legs look great and he's ready to go. I'm hoping he has a good race Saturday and then we're aiming for the Graduate elimination on May 14 at the Meadowlands. We'll also probably go in the second leg of the Classic Series at Woodbine June 4."



Grider said Jim Taggart Jr., who also trains a few horses for Grider at Pocono Downs and who drove Mini Me in all three of his qualifiers, will remain in the sulky for Saturday's Open. Grider said he will let Hart make a decision on a driver when the horse is shipped to the Meadowlands.

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