Natural Herbie & Verlin Yoder Takes on the World, and Wins

[careless hal]

Have to love stories like this!

October 26, 2014
Natural Herbie & Verlin Yoder (photo by Mike Lizzi)
Herbie Takes on the World, and Wins
By Bill Finley
YONKERS, NY - He's just a little horse from a little stable
out of Indiana and the rumor is that his owner-trainer Verlin
Yoder bought him for he proverbial ham sandwich. Not only
was Mister Herbie not supposed to win last night's
$250,000 International Trot Preview at Yonkers, common
sense told you this underdog didn't even belong on the
same racetrack as these titans from around the globe.
Sometimes, you can throw common sense right out the
window.
Verlin Yoder's 4-year-old gelding by Here Comes Herbie
defeated one of the best fields of aged trotters assembled
in some time, winning the race by three-quarters of a length
over Swedish import Commander Crowe. Favorite
Sebastian K broke stride and finished last and trainer Åke
Svanstedt said his horse may be done for the year.
Natural Herbie had clinched the title of the sport's biggest
overachiever even before last night's race. He left Indiana
to win the $75,000 Vincennes Stakes on Hambletonian Day
at the Meadowlands and had won the Chip Noble Memorial
at Scioto Downs while piling up $624,841 in seasonal
earnings. But none of that meant he had the ability to beat
mega-stars like Sebastian K and Commander Crowe, 2013
Horse of the Year Bee A Magician or $4 million earner Arch
Madness.
"Those horses, they're monsters," Yoder said.
Apparently, so is Natural Herbie.
The race was contested at the rare distance of a
mile-and-a-quarter, which figured to be an advantage for
the Europeans who had gone longer distances in the past.
But Sebastian K was done almost immediately as he ran
entering the first of the five turns. With him out of the race,
Arch Madness sprinted to the lead for George Brennan and
was still in front heading into the stretch for the final time.
The 11-year-old Commander Crowe, who was making his
first start in the U.S., got by Arch Madness and appeared to
be in position to put the race away. But Natural Herbie, who
was fifth early, kept grinding away at the leaders and shot
to the front about 20 yards before the wire.
He completed the mile-and-a-quarter in 2:24.4 and paid
$21.60.
"I moved a little bit earlier than I wanted to, but I had to
move and he stood up to it," Yoder said. "He's a nice
horse. I've put him in bad spots before and he's always
come through . But he had his work cut out tonight."
For an Indiana horseman with a small stable, this is a
once-in-a-lifetime horse, and Yoder knows it.
"It really hasn't sunk in and it will take a little while before
it does, but it's pretty awesome," Yoder said. "It's
something you dream of, but you never know if it is going
to happen. "It's an honor. It keeps me speechless and I
don't know what to say. He's done way above what I ever
expected him to do. He has a lot of talent, he's a smart
horse and knows how to win races."
Harness racing's Cinderella story will have to be put on
hold until 2015. Natural Herbie is not staked to any major
races and Yoder said he has no intention of supplementing
him into the Breeders Crown. "Just too expensive," he
said.
He will not start again this year and will soon be on his
way to Florida for some R & R. Yoder will have the
opportunity to stake his horse for some of the major trotting
races next year and said he has every intention of doing
so.

[The Skipper]

Great story and Verlin seems like a down to earth humble man with this once in a lifetime horse. Makes him very easy to root for. 

[jordanjacob]

Great story and Verlin seems like a down to earth humble man with this once in a lifetime horse. Makes him very easy to root for. 

 

[LVGaryD]

 

[C10hitch]

It was a blast standing at the Pegasus Bar at Hoosier watching the race on the tv with no sound. In that last 1/4 of a mile you wouldn't have been able to hear the call anyway. There was a lot of noise and I must say I was whooping it up too, gave me goosebumps.

 Watching Verlin sitting chilly on the outside, biding his time, there wasn't a single soul in Indiana who for one second thought Herbie was SOL. We knew Verlin was prepared and Herbie has proven in the past he can take a parked out trip. I was luvin' Commander Crowe getting so nervous about Herbie sitting and biding his time that he was half in half out trying to decide what to do......

Caught the interview on a tv with sound. Verlin was looking a teeny bit shellshocked. 

[tonyb147]

Watch the replay. As they went up the backside the last time the announcer said something like "Natural Herbie starting to unravel". At the time I said to myself uhhhhhhm, don't think so. Love a horse that can race outside like that. Wish I was smart enough to have bet him.

 

[The Skipper]

Watch the replay. As they went up the backside the last time the announcer said something like "Natural Herbie starting to unravel". At the time I said to myself uhhhhhhm, don't think so. Love a horse that can race outside like that. Wish I was smart enough to have bet him.

 

Guess if you knew he won and then watched the replay you would say, uhhhhhhm, don't think so.

[LVGaryD]

Guess if you knew he won and then watched the replay you would say, uhhhhhhm, don't think so.

[beans and weenies]

    Love this horse and his connections!!!