John Berry: Odds and ends from the email bag

With the Stakes season winding down, only a few major harness racing events in the future remain to wrap up an incredible year.

The “main attraction” events to close out the season are at The Meadowlands in the Governor’s Cup, Valley Victory, Three Diamonds and Goldsmith Maid for the two-year-olds still going, and the quartet of Fan Duel events—all as we close-out November.

Dover Downs plays host to the rich Progress Pace final for three-year-old pacers. It’s an
“Open” event, too.

There are a few others, as well, for the sophomores at Harrah’s Hoosier Park and, by then, any questions on USHWA voting should be cleared up…at least a little “bit.”

That gives Mane Attraction some time to respond to the “e-mail bag” to answer the many questions and comments that arrive—no postage necessary.

QUESTION: “I enjoy your columns, and I love the ‘Insider’ and your history column. I see that some 15-year-olds have won this year in the amateur races and, this might be a silly question, but has there ever been a 15-year-old thoroughbred to win a race?”

ANSWER: I don’t know that much about thoroughbred racing—of course, I go back to the great days of Kelso in the 1960’s—and I’ve only called 30 thoroughbred races—but I do know of one that raced in Chicago at Sportsman’s Park by the name of Maxwell G…and he did win as a 15-year-old.

In checking things up, Maxwell G/ won at the “in-town” track on opening day in 1976—March 15—and he won by six lengths.

“Maxie” was foaled April 10, 1961, and raced from 1965 to 1977. He won as a 16-year-old, too, He had 47 wins during his career and won a “bit” over $180,000.

While that is remarkable, our rugged standardbred breed also has durable blood lines as a few 15-year-olds won this year in amateur events at The Meadowlands—one as fast as 1:52 and change! (Yes, our standardbreds can race in amateur events at 15.)

Of course, turning back the clock a “bit,” we’ve had standardbreds that raced while well into their late-teens and twenties.

Lord Sherbrooke raced at age 20 back in the early 1950’s (before the 14–15-year-old rule went into effect) and he won five races in 26 starts and had a 5-4-7 scorecard in 26 starts.

He even raced against his five-year-old son in one race—AND BEAT HIM—he finished second and his son fifth.

Other successful winners at age 20 in that era were Sharkey Bellini, Guy Volo, Doc B Grattan, Dizzy Dean and the mare Highland Princess.

Guy Volo, in fact, started an amazing 73 times as a 20-year-old and won 13 times and was 1-2-3 in 41 starts. (If you’re wondering about his earnings, they were $1,540.26…an average of about $21.10 per start.

The 21-year-old Jackie, who had a mark of 2:08 as a six-year-old, made 48 starts after reaching “drinking age” but couldn’t quite win that semester—her best second place on eight occasions.

Ada Symbol was 23 years old and raced a few times and Baldwin was 24-years-of age…earning $5.00.

One other note to close this segment, durability can also be measured on “starts” per season and the seven-year-old Tonymite and the 14-year-old Tru Single G prime examples. t

Tonymite started 107 times one year with 45 wins and 79 finishes on the board! Earning $2,296.93n an average of $26.87 per start and Tru Single G going starting 106 times with a 30-31-15 scorecard, good for $2,875.36—an average of $27.12 per start.

QUESTION: “In your opinion, how difficult is it to have a “batting average “400” as a driver?”

ANSWER: ONE WORD! “VERY!” Of the hundreds and hundreds and hundreds and, possibly, thousands of drivers competing this year, only 16 currently have a UDRS over .400—and that includes all categories, of which there are three—less than 300 drives, 300 to 499 drives and 500 or more drives.

In the toughest category—500 or more drives, there are only six in the select list with Wally Hennessey leading that parade at .417 (232 wins in 862 starts), Guy Gagnon second at .416 (158 wins in 610 drives) and Casey Leonard third (171 wins in 660 drives.

Jim Morrill, Jr., David Dowling and Greg Merton complete that group.

Also of note in that category is Ronnie Wrenn, Jr., who is seventh in the group at .381, compiled with 502 wins in 2010 starts with 1,079 1-2-3 finishes—over 50 percent.

In the 300-499 group, Todd Schadel leads with .454, followed by Adam Hauser at .425 and J. Brandon Campbell with a UDRS of .420.

Brad Kramer leads the 10-300 drive category at a “Curly Smart” like .569, followed by Tony Schadl with an average of .524, Duane Roland, logged in at .462, Dave’s Ward with ,458 and Andrew Adamczyk, who is fifth on the list at .446.

James Gould (.439) and Brady Clemens (.428) complete the list.

In explanation of just how tough it is to achieve this number, only 59 drivers competing today have a batting average at .300 or above.

QUESTION: “Can you tell me the names of the first drivers to achieve 1,000 wins? I have a wager with a friend and our over-under number is 100.”

ANSWER: That depends on the year to which you are referring. Since I wrote my first article in 1964, I can tell you that the number that year was exactly 25.

Billy Haughton led the list with 2,104, followed by Joe O’Brien (1,838), Levi Harner (1,769), Stanely Dancer (1,596) and Harry Burright (1,591) completing the top five.

Curly Smart (1,580), Frank Safford (1,535), Clint Hodgins (1,471, Hugh Bell (1,417) and Buddy Gilmour (1,413) were next.

Other names on the select list of 25 were Delvin Miller, John Simpson, Sr., Jimmy Cruise, Tom Winn, Jim Jordan, Eddie Cobb, John Chapman, William McMillen, Lou Rapone, George Reed, Del Insko, Sanders Russell, Edgar Leonard, Frank Ervin and Don Busse (with 1,000)

Clarence Hansen, Bob Farrington, Earl Avery and Alan Myer were knocking on the door.

QUESTION: “I know the Hambletonian began in 1926, so my question is ‘Are there stakes older than that?’”

ANSWER: Absolutely, harness racing has many stakes events that began well over aa century ago…some are still around, some not!

The Red Mile hosted the Transylvania, Walnut Hall and Kentucky Futurity long before 1900 and the Kentucky Futurity, which debuted in 1893, is one of the most coveted stakes events to this very day.

Oro Wilkes won the first one and there have been many Hambletonian winners that have sealed their greatness in the Kentucky Futurity, including Guy McKinney, the first Hambletonian winner in 1926, the filly Iosola’s Worthy in 1927, Spencer in 1928, Walter Dear in 1929 and yet another filly, Hanover’s Bertha, in 1930. From 1926 to 1936, the “infancy” of the Hambletonian there were other fillies to win both the Hambletonian and the Kentucky Futurity, including The Marchioness, Mary Reynolds and Rosalind. (Yes, fillies were on even terms with the colts and geldings in the early years).

The Transylvania also drew some great horses over the years since Jack won the first one in 1889 in 2:15, among them Greyhound and Rosalind (it was a ‘condition’ event) and the future noted sire Rodney. Pronto Don won it five times…1949—’51, ’53-’54.

The Walnut Hall had its inaugural in 1897 with The Monk winning for the legendary “Pop” Geers.

The Horseman Futurity had stakes for three-year-old trotters and pacers beginning in 1907 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Hambo winners Greyhound, Insole’s Worthy and The Marchioness won it, as did Brown Berry, quite possibly know for his famous $20,000 stumble in the 1933 Hambletonian just yards from the finish while leading.

Those events didn’t carry much of a purse in the early years but, tenaciously, grew beginning in the late 1940’s.

The Fox Stake for two-year-old pacers, also contested in Indianapolis, had its beginning in 1927 and, at one time, was one of the more relevant events in harness racing.

Among its juvenile winners were The Widower, True Chief, Poplar Byrd, Solicitor…all becoming sires some excellent racehorses…and, by the way, two others that had an influence on our breed—Adios and Good Time!!

Finally, the Matron Stakes for three-year-olds got its start in 1910 up in Michigan and continues to add it its historical significance in our sport.

Guy McKinney, Hanover’s Bertha, Greyhound and Rosalind were Hambletonian winners that won the Matron while Adios, Good Time and Tar Heel, all Matron winners on the pacing side of the ledger, contributed greatly to our grand history.

We’ll keep watching the “e-mail” bag as future inquiries surface and we will bring you some answers when there might be little “bit” of a lull in the action over the winter.

Until then…

May The Horse Be WIth You!

by John Berry, for Harnesslink