In recent years, the Arthur J. Cutler Memorial for older trotters has belonged to the ladies. A mare has defeated the boys in three of the past four editions of the event, and four of seven going back to Bee A Magician’s triumph in 2015. In the three years a female did not win the Cutler, none were entered.
With a tightener under her belt, all of harness racing had their eyes on defending Horse of the Year Test Of Faith, the Brett Pelling trainee who was sent to the gate as the 3-5 favourite Saturday night (May 14) at The Meadowlands in one of two divisions of the first leg of the Graduate Series for four-year-old pacing mares.
After defeating two past Dan Patch Award winners to capture a division of last week’s first leg of the Miss Versatility Series, the next task for Herculisa is equally daunting.
In the first leg of the Miss Versatility Series on a rain-soaked Friday night at The Meadowlands, the first $30,000 division went as expected while the other did not.
Trainers always say that a horse’s four-year-old season is one of transition, and that when they turn five, that’s the year the good ones really blossom.