Win Missy B is key to owner's success
Local horse owner and breeder Bob Key couldn't be more excited about his prospects on the harness racing circuit this year.
The apple of Key's eye is Win Missy B, and he isn't the only admirer of the accomplished 3-year-old filly trotter.
Win Missy B is projected to post this year the fastest speed rating of any 3-year-old trotter, male or female, according to Hoof Beats Magazine and TrackMaster. The ratings are based on a variety of factors, including win percentage, in-the-money finishes and earnings in 2011.
“She's phenomenal,” said Key, 78, an Allegheny Township resident who runs Winning Key Farms. “She did everything last year. She's perfectly gaited. There are no problems at all with travel or whatever. She's just a real race horse. She loves to race.”
In the 2-year-old division last year, Win Missy B cruised to eight wins and two second-place finishes in 13 starts and earned $731,175.
However, Win Missy B has a major rival in Check Me Out, who notched 14 victories and took second twice (both times to Win Missy B) in 16 starts and claimed $900,619 last year. Despite those impressive numbers, Check Me Out is second in the Hoof Beats Magazine/Track Master ratings.
This year, the 3-year-old trotting division looks like it will be dominated by fillies, which is a rarity.
“Most people would say Check Me Out is just a step better,” said Harold Howe, publisher of The Harness Edge, a Canadian-based magazine. “But that could all change. I like Win Missy B a lot. She's a competitor. I'd be shocked if she doesn't do good things.”
Win Missy B wintered in Florida and is expected to start her season around the beginning of June.
The showdown between Win Missy B and Check Me Out could occur Aug. 4 at The Hambletonian — the second leg of the trotting Triple Crown — at The New Meadowlands Racetrack in East Rutherford, N.J. Fillies usually compete in the Hambletonian Oaks Filly Division, which is for $750,000. However, if both fillies have great years, they could move into the $1.5 million Hambletonian Open, which usually is dominated by colts.
Meantime, Key's Winning Mister, a 6-year-old colt, is proving to be a late bloomer. In the aged trotters division, Winning Mister already has nine victories and one second-place finish in 11 starts and has earned $122,500 this year. Last year, he won 11 of 27 races and claimed $319,200.
Winning Mister was somewhat headstrong and erratic at the beginning of his career. Now, he's about $100,000 from reaching $1 million in earnings.
“The last two years, we've just let him go,” Key said. “We let him decide how he wants to race, and he's done very well.”
Paul Kogut is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. He can be reached at pkogut@tribweb.com or 724-224-2696.
