Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Jesse’s Messenger is an owner’s dream and a trainer’s delight.

The fact that the owner and trainer are father and son adds even more icing to an already multi-layered cake, topped off by her being crowned Ohio’s 2009 Horse of the Year and the top Two-Year-Old Trotting Filly of the Year in the Buckeye State for 2009.

Jesses Messenger & driver Ryan Stahl

The daughter of Jailhouse Jesse—a $4,500 yearling plucked out of the 2008 Ohio Selected Jug Sale by trainer Kent Sherman—returned $121,717 on that initial investment for owner Daryl Sherman.

"My son picked her out," Daryl said of the filly, who was undefeated in her eight freshman starts. "He liked her at the sale and thought she’d make a good filly, and I give him all the credit for that."

"I was looking for horses with body types that matched what I liked and she had some good siblings, and fit my criteria," Kent explained. "We wanted to spend around $5,000 and she fit our price range, too."

Kent, 47, is based at Northfield, where he conditions a stable of 41 Standardbreds. Daryl and his wife own a 130-acre farm where they raise foals near their home in Elmore, Ohio.

The third and most prolific foal out of the Carry The Message mare Laser Message 4,2:02.4h ($50,533), Jesse’s Messenger is a half-sister to Diesel Fuel ($11,890) and Invitation Only ($392)—both by Master Lavec. She was bred by the Hatfield Stables and foaled March 26, 2007 at Charm, Ohio.

"I liked her even more once she came home," Kent revealed. "She’s a medium-sized filly but is proportioned really well and has a nice hind end, which is important in a trotter and she stands very solid. She hit every mark training down, but really didn’t show a lot until she got to the races. When it was time to go for the money, she really responded. She was always very nice and did what we wanted her to do, and then became the barn star in May or June."

Jesse’s Messenger began her career with a trio of qualifiers at Northfield Park, winning in the third try on June 25 in 2:03.2, by 12 and ½ lengths with Ryan Stahl at the lines.

"Ryan (Stahl) did a real good job with her," Daryl acknowledged. "He was conservative with her and developed her and taught her how to be a racehorse during the season."

Jesse’s Messenger captured her pari-mutuel debut on July 3 in 2:01.2, a $22,300 OSS at Northfield, drawing off by nine and 1/4 lengths for Stahl. She followed that up with a 2:01.1 clocking in a $22,600 OSS at Scioto Downs on July 17, winning by four and ½ lengths, and then took a $30,000 OSF test on July 30 in 1:59.4, by six and ¾ lengths.

"She was a nice filly from day one, well mannered, and although she wasn’t outstanding in her early stages, it was when she started racing that she really came to life. She kept getting better and more confident as the season progressed," Daryl offered. "It is a tremendous experience to have a filly like her; we’ve never experienced anything like this."

The hardy filly next captured a $18,000 Ohio Breeders Stake at Scioto in 2:00.4 by five and ¾ lengths on Aug. 6, then won a $22,800 OSS at Raceway Park in 2:01, by a whopping 13 lengths in 2:01 on Aug.16. Twelve days later, she took her freshman record of 1:57.3, en route to a ten and ¼ length victory in a $21,800 OSS at Scioto Downs.

"She’s perfect in the barn and on the track," Kent noted. "We had a few health issues with her over the summer, such as tying up, and at times we had a little trouble keeping her red count the way we would have liked, but for the most part she stayed pretty healthy all season."

That was evident, especially when Jesse’s Messenger won the $80,000 OSS Championship Final at Northfield Park on Sept. 5. Her time of 1:58.3 impressed onlookers who watched as dominated on the front end by five and ½ lengths.

"Every win is a great race, but I think capping off the season’s end with her Ohio Sire Stakes championship was the best," Daryl admitted.

But the filly still had one final start—the $28,817 Ohio Breeders Stake at Delaware on Sept. 21—and she didn’t disappoint her connections, winning in 2:01.4.

"Her last race was really a topper," Kent stressed. "I defintvely knew she wasn’t at her physical best that day, but she still went out and got the job done."

In all of her freshman starts, Jesse’s Messenger took the lead near the start of the race, and never looked back.

"Once she showed her true colors, and it became apparent that she was good on the front end, we felt it was a safe spot to be in since she was typically the favorite," Kent explained.

The filly’s freshman campaign was a perfect wins in eight tries. Turned out at Spring Run Farm since her final start for some rest, Kent began jogging her in late December.

"She’s filled out quite a bit and appears to be a much more mature filly now," Kent offered. "We hope to take a few shots with her at some of the bigger events outside of Ohio, if all goes as planned."

Daryl agreed.

"Our game plan was to turn her out after Delaware and that’s what we did," he said. "Kent is bringing her back slowly for 2010, and we’ll test the waters a little bit but we don’t have a definitive schedule yet. We’re hoping she shows enough promise to race outside of Ohio a bit.