When it comes to sports, and in life in general, people love to see the underdog prevail. After his experience with Isitfridayyet, Leonard Rosene couldn’t agree more.
As a recent article by the Hamilton Spectator explains, Leonard’s brother, Bill, made an astute observation about Isitfridayyet back in February – and that observation has paid off in spades
Isitfridayyet is a gelded son of No Pan Intended that sold for $5,500 as a yearling in 2014. He had been racing at the $15,000 claiming level at Flamboro Downs earlier this year – that was before trainer Colin Johnson claimed him and raced him back at Woodbine Racetrack just over a week later.
Isitfridayyet would go on to draw off on his rivals in that claiming/conditioned tilt at the suburban Toronto oval. That evening, prior to the race, Bill Rosene had noticed that Johnson had already entered Isitfridayyet to race again in three days’ time. The Rosene brothers discussed the situation. They settled on the conclusion that Johnson appeared to have confidence in the gelding’s current form. In the Rosenes’ eyes, the situation justified a claim. They couldn’t have been more right.
Eighteen races, nine wins, and roughly $122,000 in purse earnings later, it’s safe to say that the Rosenes’ hunch has paid off, and then some.
After the claim from Johnson, Leonard Rosene moved Isitfridayyet to the barn of O’Brien Award-winning trainer Richard Moreau, where the gelding has turned into one of the better stories at Woodbine Mohawk Park, if not all of Ontario, this calendar year.
"The night Colin claimed the horse, Isitfridayyet won,” Leonard told the Hamilton Spectator, “and then I saw he had the horse entered to race at Woodbine, but also to start just three days after that in a race there. That told me he had confidence in the horse and was out to make some quick money."
"So, we thought, 'here is an opportunity,' and we claimed him for $20,000, which he won. Then we raced him back three days later like Colin intended and he won five in a row for us paying for himself in no time. Credit goes to Colin for turning the horse around, because we just raced him more or less how we got him."
As the article explains, the connections opted to take a bit of a hiatus with Isitfridayyet through the summer months. He returned to the track in early October and has won a handful of races since – three of his last four, to be precise. The bay has been doing it while climbing the class ladder, as well – something that makes the run all the more sweeter for the connections.
Isitfridayyet reached the Preferred in early December at Woodbine Mohawk Park, where he came from off the pace in the $34,000 tilt and mowed down the leaders for a well-measured win over an off track (the replay of the race appears above).
"He won the Preferred without realizing he is really not a regular Preferred horse," said Moreau, in what has been one of the better quotes of the year.
Isitfridayyet’s followers can catch him again this Saturday at the Campbellville, Ont. oval, as he has drawn Post 8 for the $34,000 Preferred, which has been carded as Race 7 (9:15 p.m.) on the 10-dash program. First-race post time for Mohawk’s Saturday card will be at 7:10 p.m.
To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries – Woodbine Mohawk Park.
(With files from the Hamilton Spectator)