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Sunday, December 30, 2007

Donato Hanover standing for $20,000 fee

HORSE RACING INSIDER

Champion trotting racehorse Donato Hanover joins legendary lineup of stallions at home in Hanover Shoe Farms

D'Arcy Egan Cleveland Plain Dealer Reporter

Donato Hanover was home for the holidays on Wednesday (05dec07) as the Hanover Shoe Farms celebrated the colt's tremendous 2007 season.

The 3-year-old trotter was born at the famed horse farm outside of Hanover, Pa., on May 3, 2004, and joins Hanover's lineup of stallions now that his racing career has ended.

The stud fee for the bay stallion by Andover Hall out of D Train, a Donerail mare, is $20,000.

Donato Hanover had a tremendous career, winning 19 consecutive races and $3 million. The sophomore was so dominant in the trotting ranks that he is a front runner for harness racing's Horse of the Year, despite a pair of late-season losses to rival Arch Madness in the Breeders Crown competition. Donato Hanover captured this year's Hambletonian, Canadian Trotting Classic, World Trotting Derby, Kentucky Futurity and Stanley Dancer Memorial.

Second in the Horse of the Year standings by the Hambletonian/Breeders Crown Standardbred Poll is a fabulous filly, Snow White. The daughter of Self Possessed-Mom's Millionaire, Snow White had 11 wins in 13 starts and won $1.2 million this year, a record for a 2-year-old trotter. Fabled driver John Campbell told U.S. Trotting Association officials she was "the best 2-year-old I've ever sat behind."

When Snow White won the Breeders Crown, the win pushed Campbell's career driving earnings over the $250 million mark.

Full article continues at: Donato Hanover retires to stud

Jody Jamieson, Paul MacDonell, Casie Coleman, Blair Burgess nominated for O'Brien Awards


Standardbred Horse Racing's O'Brien Awards Finalists Announced

Somebeachsomewhere is a finalist for Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt

Standardbred Canada today (19dec07) announced the finalists for the 2007 O'Brien Awards, which honour Canada's best in harness racing over the past season. The awards are named in honour of the late Joe O'Brien, an outstanding horseman and a member of The Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. The winners will be announced at the O'Brien Awards banquet on Saturday, February 2, 2008.

Please note that a full list of finalists appears at the bottom of this release.

Jody Jamieson and Paul MacDonell are each looking to capture their first O'Brien as Canada's Driver of the Year while Casie Coleman will defend her title as Canada's Trainer of the Year for a third consecutive season while Blair Burgess will attempt to break that streak and capture his first training title.

Jody Jamieson, 31, of Cambridge, Ontario was runner-up to Mark MacDonald for national honours in 2006 and is enroute to a career earnings year, leading all Canadian drivers in earnings with over $10 million ($8.9 million in Canada) while driving 379 winners. Jamieson had many stakes wins throughout the year including coveted victories in the North America Cup and Little Brown Jug with pacing sensation Tell All.

Paul MacDonell, 44, of Guelph, Ontario was runner-up to Mark MacDonald in the 2005 season. MacDonell has 255 wins on the year and $7.7 million in earnings.

Casie Coleman, 27, of Cambridge, Ontario defends her title as Canada's Trainer of the Year following another productive season, which included 177 wins and earnings of over $3.5 million. Coleman's stable star, Moving Pictures, is a finalist for Older Pacing Mare honours.

Blair Burgess, 46, of Milton, Ontario was runner-up in this category in 2006. Burgess enjoyed a profitable and productive 2007 season thanks in large part to the successful performances of the exceptional three-year-old pacing colt Tell All. The Burgess Stable made 28 trips to the winner's circle for $1.2 million in earnings.

Tell All and Bigtime Ball are the finalists in the Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt category. Tell All, a winner of $1.5 million, scored major victories on both sides of the border with the North America Cup and Little Brown Jug to his credit. Bigtime Ball was a consistent performer in the Ontario Sires Stakes (OSS), closing his '07 season with a convincing win in the OSS Super Final to give him over $461,000 in earnings.

The invincible Somebeachsomewhere is a finalist for Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt honours. Somebeachsomewhere won all six season starts including a 1:49.3 victory in the lucrative Metro Pace that made him the sport's fastest two-year-old pacer. Breeders Crown Champion Santanna Blue Chip, a winner of over $925,000 is the other finalist.

A number of finalists are looking to add a second consecutive O'Brien title to their resumes. Darlins Delight, Lis Mara and Pampered Princess were all O'Brien Award winners in 2006 and are nominated again for 2007.

Full article continues at: 2007 O'Brien Award Finalists

Standardbred Racing Post Times at Woodbine moving up 10 minutes

Woodbine Racetrack Standardbred Post Times to begin 10 minutes earlier; THUR, FRI, SAT

Standardbred races at Woodbine racetrack will start ten minutes earlier beginning in 2008.

Woodbine racetrack announced that beginning in 2008, its previously scheduled post time of 7:40 p.m. would be moved up to 7:30 p.m.

"The Meadowlands has shifted its 2008 post times, so for the benefit of our customers, we moved our first race post on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights up 10 minutes to avoid the conflict," said Bruce Murray, Woodbine Vice-President of Standardbred Racing.

Monday evening post time will remain at 7:20 p.m.

article from: Woodbine-Racetrack.com Info

Saturday, December 29, 2007

Before He Cheats closes season with nine-length win – his eighth in a row

Bowie Singing To The Bank With "Cheats"

article from www.StandardbredCanada.ca

These days, almost anything can be bought on TV, and when Sam Bowie saw Before He Cheats on TV racing from Balmoral Park, the ex-NBA star had no idea the trotter would have the type of season he did in 2007.

Before He Cheats is currently tied with the nine-year-old trotter Swanee as the winningest horse in North America in 2007. Both horses have 21 wins; Before He Cheats accomplished that feat with 28 starts, Swanee in 41. Before He Cheats closed his season with a nine-length win – his eighth in a row – in the $120,000 final of the Chester Series at Chester Downs on December 20.

"It's weird, almost like fate," Bowie said. "I saw him in his third start. He finished second in that race, but he just looked like a real horse that could trot. I was thinking if he ever got out, he was going to blow by horses; he was just climbing over them. I called the USTA to find out a phone number for an owner and it was a guy named Dirk Simpson. I had heard of Dirk, but never met him. I called Dirk, he said he had two other owners with the horse and they needed $60,000 for the horse. I said, "How about I give you 50 and you get to keep the horse and train him throughout the Illinois program?"

"Now, 25 starts later, it looks like a brilliant idea," he added, laughing.

Before He Cheats, originally called EF Yorktown, was named by Simpson after the title of a song by singer Carrie Underwood. The song describes a woman's destruction of her unfaithful boyfriend's car, done so he'll think twice "Before He Cheats" again.

The sale was not exactly beginner's luck for Bowie, who has been a Standardbred owner since 1985. Bowie has owned about 75 horses over the years, including multiple-stakes-winning pacing female Legacy Of Love (p, 3, 1:56.2, $206,384). Bowie was the No. 2 selection in the 1984 NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazers. He also played with the New Jersey Nets and Los Angeles Lakers before retiring in 1995. From Lebanon, Pennsylvania, Bowie and wife Heidi settled in Lexington, where he previously was a collegiate star for the Kentucky Wildcats.

While playing with the Nets, Bowie was a regular visitor to the adjacent Meadowlands Racetrack, where the 7-foot-1 fan could watch the races in the press box without attracting attention. Bowie often stopped at the track for the last few races after a game.

"I'd go home at night and Heidi would say, 'How'd you do?'," he recalled. "I'd say, 'Well, I almost hit the trifecta.' She'd say, 'No, I meant against the Celtics.'"

Perhaps it was more than 25 years of watching races with a handicapper's eye that helped Bowie spot Before He Cheats.

"It wasn't like I went to the races looking to buy a horse, it just happened," he said. "When I told him (Simpson) that I was going to wire him $50,000 in the next 15 minutes, I wasn't going to vet the horse, I'd never met him and he gets to keep the horse. He said 'Wait a minute, you're going to wire me $50,000, you're not going to vet the horse and I get to train him, where is the trick to all this?' It was just all fate; I had a gut feeling. Dirk thanked me for having confidence in him. He thought the colt was a good horse, but he'd be the first to tell you, not like this."

Simpson got involved with Before He Cheats when he was an unraced two-year-old.

"I have a friend and partner, Russ Beamon, and he made contact with Mr. York [breeder/owner Earl]," Simpson said. "He went down to [York's home in] Georgia and bought the mother and three colts (Before He Cheats and two older unraced full brothers, by Valley Victor out of the Pride N Pleasure mare Nina Yorktown) and the Armbro Charger seven-year-old brother."

Full article continues at: 2007 Top-winning Trotter

Friday, December 28, 2007

Meadowlands nightly replay program moving to Sportsnet New York on Jan 2nd

Article from: HarnessLink.com


The Meadowlands nightly replay program Racing From The Meadowlands will move to SportsNet New York (SNY) when the 2008 harness meet begins January 2.

The show will air at 12 midnight most racing nights, with a half-hour program Wednesday-Friday and hourlong show on Saturday. Each show recaps the night’s races and previews the following day’s action. In addition, the Saturday show regularly features interviews with leading racing personalities. The show is anchored by Meadowlands analysts Sam McKee, Ken Warkentin, Bob Heyden and Dave Brower.

SNY is a 24/7 regional sports and entertainment television network that is the official broadcast home of the New York Mets and New York Jets. SNY also televises other professional and collegiate sports, including basketball and football games from the Big East and Big Ten conferences, as well as classic sports and event programming. SNY also features exclusive interview and magazine programs.


Article continues at: HarnessLink.com Standardbred Racing Site

Kentuckiana Farms named New Jersey Breeder of the Year for 2007

Kentuckiana 2007 NJ Breeder Of The Year

December 28, 2007

article from StandardbredCanada.ca

In the United States in 2007, one quarter of the standardbred racing's divisional champions were a product of Kentuckiana Farms General Partnership and its founder, Tom Crouch. In turn, Kentuckiana Farms has been named Standardbred Breeders & Owners Association of New Jersey's Breeder of the Year.

"It is a great honour to be recognized as New Jersey Breeder of the Year," said Bob Brady, one of the Kentuckiana partners. "Two thousand seven has been an exciting year for Kentuckiana Farms, having bred, raised or sold 11 national season's leaders and three divisional champions in Mystical Sunshine, Mister Big and Tell All.

Representing Kentuckiana in the Garden State are the trotting stallions Yankee Glide and Classic Photo (whose first crop will come to sale in 2008) and the recently retired pacer Tell All, the Little Brown Jug and North America Cup winner.

"The New Jersey breeding program is vitally important to the overall health of the standardbred industry," Brady noted. "Our New Jersey operation has been a key component to Kentuckiana's overall success. Being able to showcase our product at the Meadowlands has played a huge role in this success."

Tell All [by Real Desire], the Three-Year-Old Pacer of the Year for 2007 in the U.S., is one of the trio of Kentuckiana progeny who will be honoured with Dan Patch Awards at the end of January. The other two are Older Pacer of the Year Mister Big (by Grinfromeartoear) and Older Female Trotter of the Year Mystical Sunshine (by Yankee Glide).

"We are excited about bringing Tell All to New Jersey as the newest addition to our ever expanding stallion roster," Brady explained. "We are cautiously optimistic that the New Jersey program will take the necessary steps to keep pace with other jurisdictions.

"Being recognized with three divisional champions validates our commitment to breeding the best," he added.

The Breeder of the Year Award will be presented at the 51st Annual New Jersey-bred Equine Breeders Award dinner on January 27 at the Holiday Inn of East Windsor (New Jersey).

Mystical Sunshine is one of four millionaires sired by Yankee Glide.

The Chris Ryder trainee posted eight wins, four seconds and two thirds from 19 starts this season and banked $348,990 this year for the ownership of Sid Korn and the Estate of Alvin Jacobson. Her victories included the $270,000 Breeders Crown and $116,000 Miss Versatility.

Yankee Glide, a son of Valley Victory, topped all North American trotting sires in 2006 with progeny who earned nearly $8.8 million. This year his 202 starters have banked more than $6.2 million.


Article continues at: Kentuckiana wins New Jersey Breeder of the Year

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