Scarborough, Maine –
Kerogen, 2007 Trotter of the Year in
state of Maine circles continues to
amass honors and titles with every race
and every stride with the latest
accolade pinned to his stall-guard
proclaiming him State of Maine Record
Holder.
Kerogen raced into the record books on
Friday (May 9) evening at Scarborough
Downs tracking the early speed of the
Meadowlands invader, Financial Glider
(Kevin Switzer) through panels of 28.1,
58.2 and 1:28.2 before the pair came
together at that point with Kerogen
joining the leader in an epoch battle
through the storied Scarborough stretch.
As the dust settled and the cheering
faded the crowd focused trackside as the
tele-timer told the tale – Kerogen had
won the battle once again today and set
a new state of Maine standard for aged
trotting stallions timed in 1:58.3.
“The filly (Financial Glide) did a lot
of the work today,” said winning driver
Kim Ireland “That was one heck of a mile
considering the cool temperatures at
this early point in the season, but
they’re just two nice horses – that’s
all.”
Ireland’s nice horse claimed his fourth
top-class win in a row at the Downs and
in the process remained undefeated on
the season.“My horse is just so
comfortable on a half-mile track”
Ireland continued “For such a big horse
he’s very athletic. I think he actually
enjoys racing at Scarborough Downs. He
handles this track well – he really
likes this course.”
Kerogen supplanted three fabled trotters
in the record books today erasing marks
for his age, gait and sex that had stood
the test of time for many years. He
replaced Lenny Joy (1998) as the state’s
top half-mile-track performer and
equaled Nibble Hanover’s overall mark
taken on the figure-eight at the Old
Orchard Beach Kite Track back in 1941.
Kerogen also became the top-rated aged
stallion at Scarborough Downs by
overtaking Current Cast’s previous best
that had stood since May of 2000.
“Current Cast was a really good horse –
a Meadowlands kind of horse” a beaming
Ireland remarked “I raced against him
for years and he was competitive
wherever he went. Sometimes they leave
the state and they’re not quite what you
think – Current Cast left and was very
good. It’s an honor to have my horse
mentioned in his company.”
It’s also generally acknowledged that
it’s an honor to have Kerogen racing on
the seaside oval at Scarborough Downs.
“He won 13 races last season – most of
them right here at the Downs” said
Ireland “There’s no sense shipping –
with today’s fuel prices it makes little
sense. Scarborough’s purse structure is
sound enough that it lets us keep good
horses racing right here locally.”
Ireland’s eyes light up as he envisions
the great rivalry that might develop
between Kerogen and Financial Glider as
the summer season progresses at
Scarborough Downs. “Kevin Switzer is
such a gentleman” said Ireland “He knew
his mare had just gone a monster trip
but he was the first one to congratulate
me just past the wire. This matchup
between his horse and mine could help
generate excitement in the fan-base and
hopefully help bring people back to the
track this year. Imagine the storylines
– Boy verses Girl – that’s just one
angle. Folks love to take sides in a
racetrack rivalry.”
Kerogen is owned by Lew Hayden of
Pleasanton, Texas and trained in the
family stable by Kim’s wife Wendy. The
Ireland Stable has enjoyed phenomenal
success at this early point in the year
– winning 9 races from only 12 seasonal
starts. “There’s no doubt that our
owners buy good horses for us to train”
concludes Ireland “But we work really
hard too. It was a pretty tough winter
here in Maine, but just because it’s a
cold day in February doesn’t mean we
take a day off. We don’t miss much.”
The formula of hard work, good horses
and dedicated owners has paid handsome
dividends for the Ireland Stable indeed
-- look no further than the latest state
of Maine record holder for proof.
Kerogen will wear the title with pride.
Scarborough Downs proudly features live
harness action every Thursday, Friday
and Saturday afternoon with first post
slated for 4:15 pm (EDT). The popular
Sunday matinee performance rolls in
behind the gate at 1:30 pm.
Photo caption – Kerogen and driver
Kim Ireland cross the Scarborough
Downs finish line in the new state
record time of 1:58.3 – photo by EJS
Photography.
