Definition “mudder” [muhd-er]: Race horse who performs well on a wet or muddy track. Doesn’t take much rain to turn a forest trail into a quagmire. We’ll find our mudders this Saturday at the Baertschi Farm in Albany. Coming off the Fast Turf at 1.5 miles, the course narrows. The morning’s sprinkles change the dirt path from Good to Sloopy. A half-mile later the runners plop out of the woods splattered in mud and trying to lift soggy loam covered shoes. One slip while running along the edge of Allen Creek changes Dane Duerst’s colors from royal blue to peasant brown.

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