Listening to trainer Bob Baggitt Jr. talk about his horses and harness racing in general, it’s plain to see the passion he has for the sport, and the pride he has in his stable, as well as for the horsemen and horses who work so hard every day.
Bob and his wife Christine own Perfect View Acres in Bangor, Pennsylvania. Along with their daughter and another employee, they’ve been running the farm for the last ten-plus years, and living and racing in Pennsylvania for over thirty years.In addition to a career in racing, Bob has also served on the board of the Pennsylvania Harness Horsemen’s Association for over 13 years.
Originally from New Jersey, Bob met his wife through her brother, Terry Tomlin, who is in the racing business in Michigan. They worked for him for a bit, then migrated from Michigan and Jersey, eventually heading to Pennsylvania.
Happily settled here, Bob primarily races between the three PA harness tracks; Harrah’s Philadelphia, Pocono Downs at Mohegan PA, and the Meadows; and raves about the stellar racing in the Keystone State. “Ever since we introduced the slot program, it’s gone beyond my expectations,” he said. “Even more than that! All three tracks have done well, and I think they will continue to prosper.”
“Our governor (Governor Josh Shapiro) is behind us 100%, which really helps us,” he emphasized. “I think the legislative side of PA is behind their program, and I think everybody has done well off of it. Our lobbyists have done a great job for us in this state, for the horsemen.”
As important as parimutuel racing is in Pennsylvania, Bob points out the importance of harness racing at the county fairs. “Fair racing is vital! One thing that the PHHA stresses is agriculture, and therefore, the fairs, which display all that agriculture has to offer, are a big key to everything.”
The Bob Baggitt Jr. Racing Stable has had many excellent horses over the years. His two-year old colt Don Dorado raced in the 2013 Breeders Crown at Pocono. This season, one trotter in particular is drawing gasps from the racing community. “Blackhawk Zette!” he exclaimed. “He’s been a huge surprise! We bought him back in November of his two-year-old year. I liked what I saw about him, the way he trotted. The way he looked. His breeding. Everything about him I liked! We made an offer to buy him, but I never raced him then. I just turned him out in the paddock to let him grow, and then he trained back good. Much to our surprise, he’s lived up to more than our expectations.”
From a clean sweep in the Bobby Weiss Series at Pocono Downs in the early spring, there was no stopping this terrific trotter. “He started the stakes season, and we never over-staked him because we didn’t know what we really had! So we kept him mainly into the PA stuff, also starting him in the Dexter Cup (2nd, Freehold May 5); and now we think his last start will be the Simpson Memorial at Pocono Downs (Oct. 28).
Looking ahead to the future, Bob believes the key to the longevity of harness racing is a multitude of factors. “We need to keep our legislators happy, and show that our business is going forward, that the handle is up, that we have more farms, and we need to keep our Sire Stakes program strong. If the Sire Stakes program is strong, then the industry is strong.”Introducing new fans to the races and keeping them involved is another factor in the future of harness racing, and he agrees that it sometimes can be challenging. “We have to try to be better partners with the casinos in order to do all this. We have to try to find a way to work together with them to bring new people into the racetrack to see the racing end of the business.”
In the near future for the Bob Baggitt Jr. Racing Stable, they shuffle a few things around in the colder months. “We will change over some horses, we’ll sell some, and we’ll buy some babies. After December, what horses we have left racing will all get 30 days off, and then we just more or less re-load for February and March when we start racing again.”
And, of course, he’s keeping his eye out for the next superstar in his barn with some guidelines. “We’ll be at the Harrisburg sale for sure! In a trotter, we just look for a decent size, not too big, and we don’t want ‘em small either! We would much rather have the medium sized, the big ones tend to go lame. Long, and big ears! I love big ears,” he laughed.
Bob Baggitt Jr – Training Stats
Lifetime
6717 starts
1st 877
2nd 940
3rd 944
Lifetime $11,348,448
Blackhawk Zette (Cantab Hall – Zette Starlet – Credit Winner)
Starts 19
1st 11
2nd 4
3rd 2
Lifetime $260,079
Fastest Time – 5/8 Mile 1:53.1 Harrah’s Philadelphia
Cover Photo Credit to Breeders Crown Photo
