BIBLE HILL - Winning the lottery.
Common wisdom tells us it's one of the most unlikely occurrences; something that happens only to the insanely lucky.
Some say Brent MacGrath had his windfall with Somebeachsomewhere, his legendary pacer that became arguably the greatest standardbred of all time with 20 wins in 21 starts and more than $3 million in earnings.
And the MacGraths would agree with those people.
"The thing people need to remember is that it's not only a slim chance that he came to us, but a horse like that doesn't come along in the industry every year," said MacGrath's wife Rhonda.
So forgive the 51-year-old MacGrath for not expecting a repeat performance from his latest acquisition, the aptly named Weigh the Odds.
"No," MacGrath said matter-of-factly while brushing his new horse in its stable at Truro Raceway. "When you think of the chances of that happening again the numbers are staggering. So to think it's going to happen again is a bit much."
MacGrath bought the son of Bettors Delight at the Tattersalls Sale in Lexington, Ky., last September for $65,000 in a partnership with his wife, Stu Rath, Garry Pye, Lee Blaikie and Jamie Bagnall.
MacGrath had his eye on a few others at the sale as well, but several circumstances led him to Weight the Odds.
"He had the look," MacGrath said of his big-framed racer. "I looked at a few over the three days but they were going for more than I planned to spend. But I liked his breed and I liked his look.
"He's big and strong and you've got to have that to do what you want them to do."
He's now two years old and MacGrath is hoping to have him ready to take to Ontario in the fall to race in the Governor's Cup, the Champlain Stakes, the Nasagaweya Stakes, and depending on how he progresses, possibly the Metro Pace this summer.
But there's still plenty of work to do before then. MacGrath plans on qualifying him next weekend and only just had Weigh the Odds behind the starting gate for the first time this week. But like the rest of his training regimen thus far, the horse responded well.
"He couldn't have been better," MacGrath said. "He had his nose right on it."
The lifelong horseman said he wasn't surprised.
"He's done everything we've asked him to do and he seems to enjoy doing it," MacGrath said. "He's smart and has good gait."
But he's also still learning, something MacGrath understands, adding he can still see plenty of kid in the future racer.
"He's a two-year-old boy," MacGrath said. "He loves to eat and loves to sleep. But that's a good quality. He's a good rester so you don't have to worry about him."
MacGrath said Weigh the Odds is progressing at about the same rate as the 'Beach, but added that has no bearing on what his future success might be.
"It's just like boxing," MacGrath said. "You could dominate one class but when you move up you might not be able to handle that step. You just never know until you get there how they'll react.
"A good horse tires in the last 20 feet but a great horse is just starting to bear down."
That's why MacGrath isn't setting high expectations for his latest racer. Trying to get another world champion was never his intention when he went to Lexington in September.
"We just got him to have some fun and maybe get a little back on our investment," MacGrath said. "We're just hoping he turns into a nice horse. That's all we want."
