After becoming the champion two-year-old pacing colt in both Canada and the United States last year, Sportswriter hasn't been able to buy a win in three starts this season. As a result, he goes into the $1.5-million North America Cup at Mohawk Raceway on Saturday under the radar.
The attention is on Rock N Roll Heaven - trained by Bruce Saunders, formerly the governor of Delaware and brother-in-law of U.S. vice-president Joe Biden - a horse that has risen to the top of his division with five wins in seven starts.
Sportswriter will arguably face the deepest pool of fleet pacers assembled in many years for the North America Cup, the richest harness race on the continent. Among the 10 starters, at least a half dozen wouldn't raise an eyebrow should they storm home the winner at the countryside track.
Meantime, Sportswriter has had his issues so far this season.
"He trained down absolutely awesome all winter," said his trainer, Casie Coleman, who has had a few stressful weeks since.
"After his first qualifier, I decided to put aluminum shoes up front with him. I had always raced him in steel. Normally I do that with my three-year-olds."
After his second qualifier, he popped a quarter crack in his left front foot. A quarter crack is something like a hangnail, but painful.
After his third qualifying race, Sportswriter popped a quarter crack on the other foot.
The wheels were coming off.
In his first race this year at Mohawk, he bruised his heels quite seriously to finish second. Needless to say, for his next start, Sportswriter got his steel shoes back.
He raced again and finished fourth, puffing like a fat man going up a hill, but Coleman said the efforts weren't bad, all things considered. Bad racing luck didn't help.
"[It's]been one thing after another that just hit us the last couple of weeks," Coleman said. "To happen right before a $1.5-million race is unusual."
As luck would have it, Sportswriter drew into the toughest of the elimination divisions for the North America Cup, but his third place finish to Rock N Roll Heaven, only a half-length back, was impressive.
He'd raced almost every step on the outside, taking the longer route home, and still had lots of moxie left at the wire.
It was the fastest of the three Cup eliminations, too: 1 minute, 48 4/5 seconds.
"He needed that race to tighten up," she said. "He'll be good next week."
On Saturday, he'll be at the pacing Olympics.