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Only five other drivers have reached that milestone. From Harnessracing.com-
Hall of Famer Dave Magee became only the sixth driver in North American harness racing history to record 11,000 driving victories when he guided Capture The Magic to a head decision in the 13th race at Balmoral Park Saturday night).
The always humble 55 year old, who has been a staple on the Chicago Standardbred circuit for decades, once again shrugged off his latest record setting accomplishment.
“When I was driving at the Amherst fair in Wisconsin back in the early ’70s I never would have dreamed about putting up numbers like this or having a career that would be this successful,†said Magee. “It’s just by the grace of God and all the people I’ve worked for and driven for over the years that I’m in this spot.â€
Magee, who also boasts career earnings of more than $88.2 million which ranks him 11th all time, joins Herve Filion, Dave Palone, Tony Morgan, Cat Manzi and Walter Case Jr. as the only North American drivers to hit the 11,000 mark.
I’ve seen Manzi and Filion drive and maybe Case. Cat man and I are cousins but if we ever met it was 30 plus years ago.
The course that hosts the Preakness Stakes continues to have financial difficulty.
Magna Entertainment Corp. said Friday it has defaulted on a loan that is secured by its Maryland racing properties, including Laurel Park and Pimlico Racecourse.
According to Magna, the bank that holds the loan, PNC Bank, has “chosen not to exercise its rights and remedies under such loan agreement at this time.” According to Magna’s most recent financial statements, the loan had net borrowings of $1.6 million as of Sept. 30, 2008.
Magna, the largest racetrack operator in the U.S., recently hired bankruptcy lawyers as advisers. The company has lost $500 million over the last five years and is in danger of defaulting on hundreds of millions of dollars in loans beginning in mid-March. The majority of the debt coming due is held by its parent company and controlling shareholder, MI Developments.
Magna also said that it has notified Well Fargo Bank that it has not met the financial conditions for a $40 million line of credit extended by the bank. Wells Fargo has also chosen not to exercise any of its options on the loan, the company said.
These latest problems for horse racing in Maryland comes as no surprise to me. Rosecroft Raceway had to discontinue live racing. Attempts to prop up the Sport of Kings with other forms of gambling on site continue to fail and I’m afraid horse racing could die one day in the United States.
Were there seven birthday candles on his cake too? From Harnessracing.com-
Dave Palone celebrated his 47th birthday in style on Friday at The Meadows, driving seven winners on the 14-race card, including a sweep of the three divisions of the Early Call, a late-closing series for 3- and 4-year-old filly and mare pacers. Ron Burke trains all three division winners, giving him a sweep as well.
The fastest time of the three $12,000 opening leg divisions was turned in by JK Reunited, who endured a parked-out first panel yet scored in 1:55.2 by a widening 3-1/2 lengths. Playful Terror rallied from well back to be second while Gentle Dragon saved show. Sylvia Burke, Weaver Bruscemi LLC, JJK Stables and M1 Stable own JK Reunited, a 4-year-old daughter of Bettor’s Delight-JK On Broadway.
Star Of India and Serenity Hanover took the other series splits.
The $25,000 Preferred Handicap Pace was the icing on the cake for Palone, who worked out an effective cover trip for Beau Rivage N from post position eight. Beau Rivage N earned his second straight victory in the Preferred, prevailing by a head in 1:53.2. Biletnikoff and It’sjustabeginning finished in a dead heat for place.
I doubt any of the races were gifts from the other drivers. What will Pallone do when he turns 50?
Too bad trotters and pacers don’t race at Churchill Downs*. From Harnessracing.com-
Two Perretti Farms yearlings have been named in honor of New Jersey state legislators Jennifer Beck and Joseph Malone.
Beckretariat, named for Senator Beck [R-12], who is from Red Bank, NJ, is a pacing filly by Rocknroll Hanover out of the broodmare Sweet Smilin’ Lady.
Muscles Malone, named for Assemblyman Malone [R-30] of Bordentown, NJ, is a son of trotting stallion Muscles Yankee and out of the broodmare Malexandria.
Both yearlings were bred at Perretti Farms in Cream Ridge, NJ and, according to Perretti spokesman Bob Marks, they will both be for sale in the fall. (NJ SBOA)
How long before a yearling is named Super Obama? There was a famous trotter named Super Bowl 30 years ago.
*- I was making a joke. Churchill Downs is not named after Winston Churchill.
Could harness racing in Florida be permanently kaput as early as May 2nd 2009?
The Florida Standardbred Breeders and Owners Association (FSBOA) has issued a press release stating that the Isle Casino at Pompano has asked the state of Florida to approve a reduction in the number of Standardbred racing days for the 2008-2009 race meet from 160 to 140.
In addition, the FSBOA release noted that the Isle Casino at Pompano Park confirmed that they have applied for a summer Quarter Horse license. There had been previous reports that Pompano Park was applying for a summer Quarter Horse license.
Also, the FSBOA release said that the Standardbred meet will end on May 2, 2009, instead of the original schedule of Aug. 2, as advertised on the stall application. The FSBOA also said Steve Wolf, Director of Racing at Pompano, told the horsemen in a memo that the stable area and the grooms quarters must be vacated by May 10, 2009. This includes all horses (400–800) and all personal property. Anything left behind will be discarded by management.
“This change will have a devastating effect on Standardbred racing in Florida. It will not only put the breeding and Florida Sire Stakes programs in grave danger, it could spell the end of harness racing in Florida,” said the FSBOA press release.
I don’t know if what the FSBOA is saying is true or if they’re doing a impersonation of Chicken Little ‘Harness racing is falling. Harness racing is falling.’ The Sun-Sentinel based out of Fort Lauderdale, less than ten miles from Pompano Park, hasn’t
reported a word on the state of local harness racing this year.
What I do know, is that horse racing is a precarious situation at present. One being made worse by the current economic situation. I’ve written more multiple times about the economic difficulties ‘The Sport of Kings’ has faced of late. It is my worse fear that the sport will be extinct or close to it in as little as ten years.
While the primary form of horse racing that I follow is harness racing, I did however hear of Mr. Hirsch. I didn’t know however that he was roommates with Joe Namath. Did he room with Joe or Joe’s luggage? LOL, either way RIP.
Joe Hirsch, the longtime columnist for the Daily Racing Form known as the dean of American turf writers, has died. He was 80.
Hirsch had Parkinson’s disease and was recovering from a broken hip suffered in a fall last spring. He died at St. Luke’s Hospital on Friday, said Steven Crist, chairman and publisher of the Daily Racing Form.
Hirsch’s career spanned more than 50 years, and he chronicled the road to the Kentucky Derby with his detailed reports — called “Derby Doings” — on prep races in Florida, California, Kentucky and New York. He retired in 2003.
“He had a giant heart and was a friend to all,” said Jim Gluckson, publicist for the Breeders’ Cup. “In the second part of the 20th century, he was the most important writer in thoroughbred racing history. He chronicled the game on an almost daily basis.”
Hirsch also was known for helping new racing writers learn the sport and was the first president of the National Turf Writers Association in 1959. He was the rare journalist who had the respect of horse owners, breeders, trainers, jockeys and track owners, as well as fellow journalists and the racing public.
“Joe was a friend of the Breeders’ Cup, an inspired advocate for the sport he loved and, most importantly, a true gentleman,” Breeders’ Cup president Greg Avioli said in a statement.
Horse racing wasn’t Hirsch’s only love. He was a big sports fan and was famous for being Joe Namath’s roommate from 1965-1976 when the quarterback played for the New York Jets. During that time, Jets owners Sonny Werblin and Leon Hess hoped Hirsch would be a positive influence on the star quarterback.
“Joe learned a lot about women from me over the years, but I learned so much more from him,” Joe Namath wrote in a 2003 tribute to Hirsch in the Daily Racing Form. “He always tried to help point me in the right direction, to teach me about life. Because of him, I learned some things about respect, a little about discipline and a whole lot about people.”
When the new press box at Churchill Downs was completed in 2005, it was named the Joe Hirsch Media Center. Also, the New York Racing Association renamed one of its top grass stakes the Joe Hirsch Turf Classic Invitational.
In 1994, the Thoroughbred Club of America in Lexington, Ky., honored him for his distinguished service to racing. Among other honors he received was an Eclipse Award of Merit and the Lord Derby Award from an association of racing writers in England.
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He died as a result of injuries from being thrown from a horse he rode on December 20th. Arguably the most famous track related fatality in horse racing history, was the death of Harness Hall of Famer Billy Haughton who died in 1986. Haughton was one of the sport’s legends and my father knew him.
Jockey Sam Thompson Jr. died Christmas Day, five days after he was thrown from a quarter horse following a race at Los Alamitos.
The 36-year-old rider had been on life support at Los Alamitos Medical Center since the Dec. 20 accident. Thompson’s family had him taken off life support Thursday, medical center spokesman Orlando Gutierrez said.
Harems Dynasty, a 2-year-old filly, threw Thompson after finishing seventh in the eighth race. The Los Alamitos Race Course season ended Dec. 21.
Thompson, who lived in Long Beach, missed much of the 2008 season because of a broken foot.
He is survived by his father, Samuel, mother Gloria, brother Eric and sister Kim.
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The French Canadian horseman ranks #8 in North American earnings for 2008. From Harnessracing.com-
A charitable pledge proved to be good luck for driver Yannick Gingras on Friday night at the Meadowlands as he landed in the winner’s circle twice after announcing he would donate his earnings for the night to the track’s annual Toys For Tots drive for the United States Marine Corps.
By the end of the 12-race card, Gingras had picked up checks in seven races and earned $1,436 for the charity. Purse money is paid out to the top five finishers in a race; harness drivers receive five percent of a horse’s earnings.
Gingras netted $600 as he piloted Go On BB to a 1:52.4 victory in the $24,000 preferred mare pace, race three, for trainer Ronnie Burke and owner Frank Baldachino of Clarksburg, N.J. He was back in the winner’s circle a race later with longshot Levitys Pride in a $14,000 conditioned trot, adding another $350 to the donation. Gingras also picked up checks in five other races with Crystal Bliss (second, $175) in the first, Rusty Again (third, $68) in the fifth, Victors Vicky (fourth, $96) in the ninth, No Money No Fun (fifth, $35) in the 11th and The Maniac (third, $78) in the 12th.
“I read on the web site earlier this week that they were having Toys for Tots Night and that you could also give money (in addition to toys),†Gingras said, “so I decided to donate my five percent earnings tonight just for the kids. I’ve been really lucky with my children. They are both healthy. We’re lucky in life, my wife and I, so I decided to give something back.â€
Gingras and his wife, trainer Vicki Mosher, have a 3-year-old son, Jaiden, and 11-month-old daughter, Addison. The 29-year-old Quebec native is a third generation horsemen who now resides in Freehold, N.J. He has ranked among the Top 10 drivers since he began driving full-time at the Meadowlands in 2004. Gingras currently ranks eighth in earnings among all drivers in North America with $9.5 million through Dec. 12.
Thank you for generosity Yannick. I am sure you made some children very happy.
The accident took place in Northern Florida.
Brooke Nickells is recovering in Delray Beach, Florida, from a fall from her riding horse that left her with three cracks in her pelvis and a broken right wrist. According to her father, trainer Bruce Nickells, “she coming real good, and her doctor said ‘it won’t be any problem, it just takes time to heal and don’t worry about your wrist, it will be as good as new.’â€
The accident happened Saturday, Nov. 22, at Sunshine Meadows training center where Brooke had come south from her home in Indiana for the winter to help her father with training. She spent six days in the Delray Medical Center before being transferred to a Heartland rehabilitation center. “I think she’ll be out of here in a couple more days,†Nickells said of his daughter.
I’ve written about Brooke and her mother previously. Her father, Bruce Nickells, was driver/trainer and part owner of race horses my father also owned. Get well Brooke. I hope you are back in the sulky soon.
The Jug is the Kentucky Derby equivalent for standardbred pacers. From the Calgary Herald-
Harness Racing – Canadian owned and trained Shadow Play won the 63rd Little Brown Jug harness race on Thursday in Delaware, Ohio.
The three-year-old pacer was the 3-5 favourite to win the $551,225 US event and made short work of the field, winning the first elimination heat and then capturing the title in the second heat in the final. He paid $3.20, $2.20 and $2.10.
The victory was worth $161,693 for the owners, which included former Montreal Canadiens player and executive Serge Savard. Ian Moore of Charlottetown, who also trains Shadow Play, and a group from Bathurst, N.B., hold an ownership stake as well.
The final portion of harness racing’s Triple Crown is the Messenger Stakes in Yonkers, N.Y., on Oct. 25.
Harnessracing.com has more details about Shadow Play’s victory.
Shadow Play led from start to finish to win the second and deciding heat of the $551,225 Little Brown Jug Thursday at the Delaware, Ohio fairgrounds, posting a 1:50.1 finish for driver David Miller, the second Jug victory for the Ohio native. The combined time with his elim victory of 1:50 established a new world mark for two heats.
When my father’s horse named Fast Clip raced in the Jug in 1972, the winner Strike Out went in a then world record 156.3 for a pacer on a half mile track. More than six seconds have been shaved off that mark in 36 years.
Drawing post one among the three elimination winners, Miller took control from the outset, with Lonestar Legend and driver Dave Palone taking the two hole and Art Official and Ron Pierce sitting third. The three elimination winners stayed that way through an opening quarter of :28 and then Pierce tipped Art Official to the outside.
As Pierce ranged up first-over with Art Official, Miller took a peak back and kept Shadow Play to his task, reaching the half in :56.1 and three quarters in 1:23.4. Art Official began to tire around the final turn, and the dash was on to the wire.
Shadow Play drew clear from Lonestar Legend by 6 1/4 lengths, while Art Official managed to hold onto third. For driver Miller, the win was his first Jug victory since 2003 with No Pan Intended. The win almost didn’t come about as trainer Ian Moore contemplated scratching the colt after he came up sore in a front foot following his elim victory. He made a shoeing change and decided to send Shadow Play behind the gate.
In 1972, Jay Time was scratched after being raced hard in the first heat of the Jug. The horse’s owners and driver/trainer Gene Reigle worried for the horse’s health.
Shadow Play isn’t the first Canadian owned horse to win the Jug. Strike Out was Canadian owned also, it may have happened other times between 1973 and 2007.
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