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July 06, 2010

Closing the book on Sportswriter’s big night

By Bob Heyden

— Sportswriter (above, Dave Landry photo) became the fifth horse to win the Metro and the NA Cup joining Presidential Ball, Gothic Dream, Rocknroll Hanover and Somebeachsomewhere.

— This year’s NA Cup marked the first ever meeting of two sub-1:50 freshmen, Sportswriter and One More Laugh.

— Casie Coleman is the 11th straight different trainer to win the NA Cup.

— Sportswriter was the only finalist who never left Canada.

Home cookin’

All four marquee finals (North America Cup, Fan Hanover, Elegantimage and Goodtimes) were won by Mohawk/Woodbine regulars on June 26 — the only time this happened previously was in 2008:

2010 — Mark MacDonald (Sportswriter, Western Silk)

2010 — Jody Jamieson (Sing Jesse Sing)

2010 — Trevor Ritchie (Ultimate Cameron)

2008 — Paul MacDonnell (Somebeachsomewhere, Lantern Kronos)

2008 — Mark MacDonald (Chancey Lady)

2008 — Trevor Ritchie (Clerk Magistrate)

2010 ‘firsts’ for the NA Cup

— The first winner for sire Artsplace (in his final crop)

— The first winner for Mark MacDonald, Casie Coleman and Steve Calhoun

— The first time in more than two decades that no nightly regular from the Meadowlands landed in the top three

— The first win of the year for Sportswriter

— The first time the North America Cup has gone under 1:49 two straight years. Sportswriter’s 1:48.3 came on the heels of the 1:48.1 by Well Said in 2009.

The million-dollar training trick

It’s been done before, but not often. Del Insko’s barn did it in 1980 by winning the $2,011,000 Wilson with Land Grant. Billy Haughton did it when Nihilator took the richest race ever, the $2,161,000 Wilson in 1984. Brett Pelling did it during the day/night of August 10, 1996. Greg Peck did it last year winning the Peter Haughton with Holiday Road ($523,600) and then followed it up with Muscle Hill ($1,520,333). Yes, it’s a rare feat for a trainer — the million-dollar day — and Casie Coleman just joined the club by winning both the $666,000 Fan Hanover with Western Silk and the $1,500,000 Pepsi North America Cup with Sportswriter.

A night of great finishes

It was a competitive night of racing on June 26, to say the least. Races four through eight were decided by a combined one-and-three-quarter lengths! Sing Jesse Sing (Goodtimes) held on by a head, Western Silk (Fan Hanover) a neck, Allthatgltrsgold (NA Cup consolation) a neck, Sportswriter (NA Cup) three-quarters-of-a-length and Ultimate Cameron (Elegantimate) by just a half-length.

Swan songs

The first crop of Rocknroll Hanover had the North America Cup favourite Rock N Roll Heaven. But when the dust cleared, it was the last crop of Artsplace first — Sportswriter — and the next-to-last crop of Western Hanover second.

For Artsplace, it was his initial score in the Cup, while Western Hanover was looking for his record breaking fifth win (he remains tied with Cam Fella at four). Artsplace passed away in the fall of 2006 and Western Hanover was lost the following summer.

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January 26, 2010

On top from Down Under

By Bob Heyden

Five trainers from Down Under have won 17 U.S. division titles between them at the Dan Patch Awards.

Brett Pelling’s won eight titles with seven horses. Noel Daley has won four titles with two horses. Chris Ryder (above Claus Andersen photo) and Ross Croghan have won two titles apiece and Richard “Nifty” Norman has one title to his credit.

Pelling also did something that will never be equaled. He won his first three Meadowlands Pace finals without any of them earning the division title that year — Davids Pass (‘95), Dream Away (‘97) and The Panderosa (‘99).

Generation gap

In many sports, your early 30s can — and are — your prime years. But that is most certainly not the case in harness racing. In our sport, it seems the best years either come before or after a driver becomes a 30-something. Consider each drivers’ best years ever:

Tim Tetrick — $19,752,066 when he was 27

Yannick Gingras — $9,768,048 when he was 29

Jason Bartlett — $10.8 million at age 28

Dave Palone — $10,719,408 at 47

Dave Miller — $12,195,868 at 44

Jim Morrill, Jr. $8,217,408 at 45

John Campbell — $14,184,863 at 46

Brian Sears — $16,667,090 at 40

Ron Pierce — $14,439,087 at 50

Mike Lachance — $10,696,993 at 50

Cat Manzi — had his seven richest seasons ever between the ages of 53 and 59

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December 11, 2009

Muscle Hill is Pumped Up

By Bob Heyden

Can we say enough about Muscle Hill? No. His 2009 campaign is likely to grow in appreciation as we move through the next decade. Some facts to consider include:

1. No other male horse has ever gone undefeated and banked over $1 million for a season.

2. He won the richest race in the sport in 23 years — the $1,520,333 Hambletonian. The last time a race went for more than that was the 1986 Woodrow Wilson, won by Cullin Hanover, which went for $1,561,500.

3. Muscle Hill (above, Dave Landry photo) will be the first trotter to earn the U.S. horse of the year award with an unblemished season.

4. His 20 straight wins came by over 80 combined lengths — meaning he averaged over four lengths per score.

Speaking of the horse of the year, the yearling price for the 2005 U.S. HOY Rocknroll Hanover was $190,000. That’s almost the same amount spent on the four HOYs since ‘05, combined. Together, Glidemaster ($10,000), Donato Hanover ($90,000), Somebeachsomewhere ($40,000) and Muscle Hill ($55,000) cost $195,000.

Logjam in the Shedrow

There is seemingly a glut in the stallion ranks in 2010. Well Said, Art Official, Mister Big and Shadow Play are all heading to stud. That’s two Meadowlands Pace winners, two Jug winners and the second-richest pacer of all time.

This on the heels of the trotting side adding Muscle Hill and Explosive Matter in 2010. Chocolatier and Glidemaster went to stud in 2006, Donato Hanover’s year was 2007 and in 2008 it was Deweycheatumnhowe. Can anyone ever remember more top horses going to stallion duty in a shorter period of time?

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