No Cane for the Fella

Artistic Fella, who has a 10-race win streak after his Aug. 5 victory in his division of the Oliver Wendell Holmes at the Meadowlands, will be heading to Lexington shortly to compete at The Red Mile before going to Canada for the Breeders Crown. According to owner Joe Alborano, the plan is to supplement Artistic Fella–who is not eligible to any other stakes this season–to the Oct. 7 Tattersalls at The Red Mile plus the Oct. 28 Breeders Crown for 3-year-old male pacers at Woodbine.

Not on the schedule is the Cane Pace, which will have eliminations on Aug. 26 and the final on Sept. 4 at Freehold Raceway. That means Artistic Fella will not be competing in the Little Brown Jug, either. The only way he could have supplemented into the Jug was to win the Cane Pace. Both of those Triple Crown races are held on half-mile ovals.

"It’s not a feasible investment to me," Alborano said. "Half-mile tracks compromise horses. To put up the money to supplement and then draw the seven or eight hole, to me it’s not a smart decision. I don’t have unlimited capital. I like to do calculated risks; I don’t like to just close my eyes and hope. I’m just trying to manage this as a business. I’d rather race around two wide turns than four tight turns."

Artistic Fella has won 13 of 18 lifetime races and earned $984,060–all at the Meadowlands. His victories this year include the Meadowlands Pace, Berry’s Creek and Suslow in addition to the Holmes. He is trained by Steve Elliott and driven by Cat Manzi. Alborano said the colt would race in the 3-year-old open a couple weeks prior to the Tattersalls.

"I’m looking to get a giant mile at Kentucky," said Alborano, who owns approximately 40 horses. "Then, we’ll go to the Breeders Crown, finish off, and have fun with him again next year. I’m light years ahead of where I thought I would be; I worry more about the animal and the future. We’re going to race him next year and we’ll have him in everything at the Meadowlands and Woodbine." (HRC)

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