Will Somebeach and Dewey be racing in 2009?
The moment we have all been waiting for is upon us. After waiting through winter and spring with expectations peaking each month, most of the major names from 2007 which have decided to return - rather then retire - will be on the track this weekend at The Meadowlands.
In fact, 4 of the 12 United States Harness Writers divisional award winners will race on either Friday or Saturday.
Topping the list is Somebeachsomewhere. The talented and unbeaten son of Mach Three will be the prohibitive favorite in his elimination for the Meadowlands Pace.
A close second is Deweycheatumnhowe. Also unbeaten and certainly fast, ‘Dewey’ has already posted two wins on the season and will certainly be odds-on in the Dancer Memorial come Friday.
Let us not forget Mister Big, who tackles Mr Feelgood and Artistic Fella in the Haughton Memorial on Saturday.
Snow White was one of the most impressive 2-year-olds ever, showing unbelievable speed. She will face nine others in the Del Miller Memorial.
With all of these stars returning on the same weekend, you might think I would be focused on the outcome of the races and whether we will see something special.
Well, my thoughts are on the races, but I can’t help but wonder about the future.
How many of these stars will we see in 2009?
The problem with being great is that you are immediately sold to the highest bidding farm for breeding duties. But you have to act fast if you are going to get top dollar.
“When they are in their prime, everyone wants them,” said owner/trainer George Teague Jr. “You’d be surprised how fast [the demand] changes. Breeders get off your bandwagon very fast, so you have to pick your spots carefully during the stakes season.”
Perhaps early retirement is the curse of the Trotting and Pacing Guide (the publication released yearly by the USTA listing records and plenty of other useful information).
Of course, the guide comes out well after the decision to retire is made, but if you look back on the last few years, retirement appears to be mandatory to get on the cover (which always features the Horse of the Year).
The 2008 edition features Donato Hanover, who was whisked off to the breeding shed after an exciting sophomore campaign, leaving us wondering how good he could have been.
One year earlier, Glidemaster donned the cover. He won the Trotting Triple Crown before calling it a career (though there were some last minute discussions of a 4-year-old campaign).
In 2006, Rocknroll Hanover had the honor and of course he retired after accomplishing the third highest single-season earnings total by a pacer.
You have to go back to the 2005 cover to find Rainbow Blue, the last Horse of the Year (yes, the Horse of the Year is always featured on the cover) to return for a follow up campaign.
The last non-mare to return was Gallo Blue Chip (2000), but I guess he doesn’t count because he is a gelding and had nothing else to do.
So, how far back do we have to travel to find a colt/horse which won Horse of the Year honors and returned for an encore?
1988, yes 1988!
The great Mack Lobell took home the honor in 1987 by winning 13 of 16 races and over $1.2 million. He then returned for his 4-year-old season to win the HOY award again, with 17 wins in 19 starts and $769,378 in earnings.
How can it be that the harness industry has gone 20 years since a stud-eligible Horse of the Year winner returned for action the following season?
One owner/trainer which has had plenty of experience on both sides of the coin is Blair Burgess.
The veteran conditioner has won all the big races, including a pair of Hambletonians (Glidemaster 2006 / Amigo Hall 2003). He has experienced the good and the bad with bringing back a top horse. In 2002 he brought back Real Desire off a big year.
“Basically I convinced my father and Brittany [Farms] to bring [Real Desire] back,” said Burgess. “I brought him back because I wanted to take a stab at an all out year. In that case I was able to make a bigger and better deal.
“[In 2004] I brought Amigo Hall back and it was a fiasco. I thought he was big and strong, and Balanced Images (his sire) get better with age. But he got behind in his training and never caught up.”
It is interesting to note that after the Amigo Hall “fiasco,” Burgess’ last two stud horses – Glidemaster and Tell All- both went off to the shed following their 3-year-old campaigns.
“We almost brought Glidemaster back, it was a fifty-fifty call,” said Burgess. “We gave it a lot of thought, maybe the problems with Amigo Hall were in the back of my mind, and certainly the financial security of breeding him played a factor.”
“I think Tell All definitely would have made a good account for himself if we brought him back,” said Burgess. “In his case, though, there was an opportunity to get a good book of mares (because of an opening due to the death of Western Hanover).”
Burgess was quick to note that the stallion game is not as lucrative for pacers as it is for trotters.
“You might as well bring a pacer [back to the races],” said Burgess. “There are probably only one or two out there that have any value right now. Trotters are a different story. They don’t have to be the best to do well.”
Certainly kudos have to go out to the owners of Artistic Fella and Mister Big, which have proven themselves time and again and still have returned to the battles.
It is hard to tell an owner to turn aside millions to help the image and publicity of harness racing, but isn’t it every owners duty to give back when they can.
Thoughts of Dan Patch have people wondering why our stars can’t continue racing for more than two years.
Perhaps harness racing needs a billionaire owner who can forsake money for the good of the game. They need someone like Bill Gates, who can give up $30 million in potential breeding money to give the sport publicity and a bit of recognition.
I’m a small time owner and would probably succumb to the monetary treasures offered by a breeding shed, but I’d like to think that if it was affordable, I would bring back my star horse (if I was so lucky to have one) for another tour.
Certainly the breeding industry can wait another year for a great horse to retire. Plus I’m tired of hearing about the risk of injury. We are not talking about thoroughbreds here, our sturdy standardbreds rarely go down to life threatening injuries.
There is only one legitimate downside to not returning a horse off a big year — fear of a sub par encore. It is a legitimate fear, but certainly a breeder could be so kind as to work out a reasonable deal with the owner of a star horse that would present a fair monetary scale depending on how the horse did?
For example: Let’s say the offer was initially $30 million. If the horse competed the following year and won HOY again, he gets $40 million; for a strong season where he was in the top 10 in the voting, $30 million; for an average season, $25 million; for an awful year, $15 million.
This brings us back to our potential colt megastars of 2008 — Deweycheatumnhowe and Somebeachsomewhere.
Both horses could do special things on the track this year. Either could set a world record or even go undefeated. Both have a legitimate chance of being Horse of the Year.
Is there any chance we will be lucky enough to see one or both of them in 2009?
If history is an indicator, the answer is a sad NO.
Stakes Action
Time to throw out some selections for the big stakes races at The Meadowlands.
It will be hard to beat DEWEYCHEATUMNHOWE in the $350,000 Stanley Dancer Memorial and I’m not even going to try. Instead, let’s look at a couple of exacta candidates.
Muscle Mass had no real chance at anything but making the final in last week’s elimination and he did that rather easily. With three starts under his belt this year, he should be ready to fire on all cylinders.
KEYSTONE BLITZ made his 2008 debut in the eliminations and finished nicely after a ground saving trip. He is going to be a huge price on Friday night and is certainly eligible to improve.
The $300,000 Del Miller is a bit more interesting. It all comes down to whether you think Snow White is the same horse as last year. I’d like to see her prove herself once this year before I jump on board.
CREAMY MIMI gets the call for me. She is somewhat untested against top notch competition, but hasn’t done much wrong this year. Last week she grinded her way into the final with a nice first-over effort, and she was still trotting strong at the wire.
ONE TOUGH LASS is clearly the sharpest horse in the group. Can she pick up her game and go faster if she has to? Tonight could provide the answer.
SNOW WHITE is impossible to leave off your tickets, but she figures to be an underlay off her 2007 performances.
Saturday’s feature is the $600,000 William R. Haughton Memorial final.
In all honesty, I’m torn in this event. ARTISTIC FELLA has been racing better than any of these the last few weeks, but post 10 is a very tough spot, even for him. So, instead of force-feeding you a pick, I’ll make this race, “For Enjoyment Only.”
Also on the card are three eliminations for the Meadowlands Pace. The top three in each division along with the fastest fourth place finisher will make the final. I know the dictionary doesn’t agree, but elimination should mean, “Don’t bet.” Instead let’s all sit back and enjoy Somebeachsomewhere’s first race in the United States.
I hope everyone enjoys the action and I hope to see you on-track.
Until next time, good luck . . . we all need it.
