With more than 340 horses in the entry box for Thursday's qualifiers at the Meadowlands, Director of Racing Joe DeFrank has opted to split the races over two days.
"I don't ever remember having to go with 35 qualifying races before," said DeFrank, who has overseen the Meadowlands race office since the track opened in 1976. "Maybe 22 or 25 races but never this many. It just got to be a logistical problem to deal with that many horses in the paddock, the many vans in the parking lot and so on. So we'll run 18 races on Thursday and 17 on Friday. We'll start at 10:30 a.m. on both days."
This will be the first chance for horsemen to qualify at the Meadowlands in preparation for the Harness 2000 meet, which begins on January 7.
Another qualifying morning is set for January 4 [entries due on December 30].
Qualifiers are required for a horse to enter if he has not had a charted line in 30 days or has failed to meet the track time standard. Additionally, some horses qualify in lieu of a hard training mile to prep for a start. The winter qualifying standards at the Meadowlands are 2:00 for three-year-olds and 1:59 for older horses on the pace. Trotters must be able to cover the mile in 2:03 for three-year-olds and 2:02 for older horses.
Ross Croghan, the Crocodile Man, calls BJ's Whirlwind the classic overachiever, who suffers from a Napoleonic complex because of his small stature.
While the Meadowlands 1999 leading trainer was taking his annual vacation in his native Australia, his stable was preparing the millionaire BJ's Whirlwind for the $100,000 Rambling Willie, the opening night feature at the Meadowlands on Friday, January 7.
In preparation for the Rambling Willie, the sixth of 12 races on the first of 155 racing programs, BJ's Whirlwind is scheduled to qualify this week at the Meadowlands. Croghan will also qualify 1:48 speedster Tinted Cloud, another prospect for the free for all pace.
BJ's Whirlwind, a five-year-old son of Precious Bunny, is coming off his best year ever with six wins, 11 seconds and five thirds in 31 starts. Owned by Brian and Jennifer Nixon of Centerport, New York, the gritty pacer earned $743,180, second only to divisional standout Red Bow Tie ($818,250).
New Zealand native Mark Harder, the Croghan Stable's second trainer, reports that BJ's Whirlwind has enjoyed a well-deserved rest after finishing seventh in his last start at Mohawk Raceway on October 29. "I think he was just tired and had had enough," said Harder from Crystal Brook Farm in Colts Neck, New Jersey. "We didn't get him until April of this year, but every time he races he kind of surprises us."
BJ's Whirlwind unleashed his best streak, winning three in-a-row in July, including victories in the $150,000 Battle of Lake Erie, the $150,000 Dan Patch, and a 1:49.1 career best in a Breeders Crown prep race at the Big M. He finished third in the Breeders Crown final, then won the $100,000 US Pacing Championship at Freehold Raceway, and also had runner-up finishes in the Graduate, the William Haughton Memorial, the Canadian Pacing Derby at Mohawk and the Prix D'Automne in Montreal.
BJ's Whirlwind has gained notoriety for his big come-from-behind efforts. "It seems like it takes him forever sometimes," said Harder. "He's never been huge on gate speed."
Aside from his diminutive stature, BJ's Whirlwind has overcome his share of setbacks. He had throat surgery to correct a breathing problem and chips surgically removed from his knee. The pacer is lucky if he sees the track twice a week between races. "He's not the soundest horse in the world," admitted Harder. "We very seldom train him at all, so he has a very light schedule in that regard. He just goes out, races and tries so hard. He has been trained a couple of times to get him ready for opening night. He's scheduled to qualify on December 30."
The Croghan Stable set a Meadowlands record in 1999 for most starts in one meet sending 717 horses to the gate with 109 wins, 101 seconds and 68 thirds, while earning $2,256,325.
"We've got about 40 right now and some nice horses to fill most of the classes and series," noted Harder. "He (Ross Croghan) didn't buy any race horses at the sales. Everything was overpriced. With the purses now, 15, 20 and 25 claimers are going to get claimed at least twice a month. He bought a lot of babies though, 15 or 16 two-year-olds. That's a progression for us here."