Sportswriter takes on Malicious on Thursday

Sportswriter, the 2009 Dan Patch and O'Brien award winner as the top freshman colt pacer in the U.S. and Canada, respectively, will make his second qualifying appearance of 2010 Thursday morning at Mohawk Racetrack--with a driver switch to Brian Sears. It had previously been announced by the connections of Sportswriter that the change from Mark MacDonald to Sears would be made for the colt's sophomore campaign, although MacDonald was in the suky for the initial qualifier May 6 at Mohawk.

 

The qualifier is the fifth race of the morning at Mohawk and may also be a preview of what's to come in 2010 as Sportswriter, who drew post three, is directly inside of Malicious, another leading 2 year old of 2009 who will also be making his second qualifying appearance of the year. Malicious won a qualifier at the Southern Oaks Training Center in Florida on April 21 in 1:54, and then the Dr. Ian Moore-trained son of Bettor's Delight was in-to-go in a conditioned event at Woodbine on Saturday night, May 8, but was scratched "sick."

 

Last year Malicious won his first seven starts before finishing fourth behind Sportswriter in the $920,000 Metro final, going on to win eight of 12 on the year and $348,000. Sportswriter also won his first seven starts of his juvenile campaign before finishing a close second in the $700,000 Breeders Crown final, the lone loss of his career. 

 

Trained by Casie Coleman, Sportswriter is owned by Steve Calhoun, West Wins Stable and Southwind Farm, which purchased an interest in the son of Artsplace who won more than $815,000 in 2009 over the winter. Sportswriter won his first qualifier of the year in 1:54.3 in an effort that impressed MacDonald.

 

"He's thicker now," MacDonald told harnessracing.com. "He didn't get any taller but he got thicker. He's one of those medium, stock horses but he's light on his feet and athletic. He has that Artsplace gait with a low head and a long stride."

 

Coleman previously stated she believes Sportswriter's best race of 2009 was actually his lone defeat in the Breeders Crown, when the colt dug in gamely after a pressured mile to finish a close second. MacDonald said Sportswriter may not have been at his best that day.

 

"He wasn't 100 percent when he got in the Breeders Crown as he had tied up and had muscle soreness," said MacDonald. "But not being right, and the way the trip went at Woodbine, he had a license to pack it in and be last. But he was still trying to come back and win. He's a competitor and tries hard."