Somebeachsomewhere and Muscle Hill — A mirror image of two of the best ever

by Bob Heyden

Let’s take a look at the similarities for what many think are the two best on their gaits ever — Somebeachsomewhere and Muscle Hill:

BOTH were 20-for-21 Lifetime

BOTH lost once by a neck

BOTH lost only at the Meadowlands

BOTH hold the all-time money per start marks for both a season and a career: 2009 Muscle Hill $204,670 per start and 2008 Somebeachsomewhere $163,208 per start; 2008-2009 Muscle Hill career $155,874 per start; 2007-2008 Somebeachsomewhere career $153,395 per start

BOTH raced at six different tracks.

BOTH were in world record events for a million dollars — 1:50.1 Muscle Hill’s Hambletonian win; SBSW 1:47 flat in the Meadowlands Pace (he finished second to Art Official).

BOTH competed on the 2008 Meadowlands Breeders Crown card — the one and only time they were on the same track on the same night.

BOTH had the sires of their dams as million-dollar race winners at the Meadowlands. Where’s The Beach was a son of Beach Towel, 1990 Meadowlands Pace winner and Yankee Blondie was by 1993 Hambletonian winner American Winner.

BOTH finished their careers with a Breeders Crown win.

BOTH won their Triple Crown tries — Muscle Hill the Kentucky Futurity and the Hambletonian and SBSW the Messenger.

Some of the most famous 1-2 combos ever

1. Magician and Moni Maker finishing 1-2 in the very first $1 million Breeders Crown in 2000 — BOTH were bred by Fredericka and David Caldwell of Georgetown, KY.

2. Jeff Snyder is the only owner to finish 1-2 in the Meadowlands Pace — 2005 Rocknroll Hanover and Village Jolt.

3. Jimmy Takter has twice gone 1-2 in the Hambletonian — 1997 with Malabar Man and Take Chances and 2014 with Trixton and Nuncio.

4. Brett Pelling has gone 1-2 in the Jug twice — 1998 Shady Character and Cam Knows Best and again in 2004 with Timesareachanging and Western Terror.

5. Billy and Tommy Haughton taking the 1-2 spots in the 1980 Hambletonian with Peter’s prized colt Burgomeister. Tommy got second money with first heat winner Final Score, and became the youngest ever Hambletonian heat winner at 23.

6. Market Share and Chapter Seven in the Linda Toscano barn in 2012 going 1-2 in the HOY balloting, the first time this had happened since Stanley Dancer’s Albatross and Super Bowl in 1972 did the same.

7. Jan Johnson and Berndt Lindstedt won the Oaks of 1988 with Nans Catch (dam of Moni Maker) and they ALSO teamed up with John Campbell to take the Hambletonian that same year with Armbro Goal.

8. Bob McIntosh taking home the HOY in consecutive seasons with Artsplace and Staying Together in 1992-1993.

9. Foiled Again ($7.6 million) and Won The West ($3,939,836) as stablemates in the Burke Barn to end the 2000s and start the 2010s.

10. Brian Sears twice taking the Hambletonian and the Oaks on the same afternoon — 2009 Muscle Hill and Broadway Schooner and 2013 Royalty For Life and Bee A Magician.

11. Brian Brown with the leading money winners of 2017 — Downbytheseaside and Fear The Dragon.

12. Su Mac Lad 1965 and Cardigan Bay 1968 retiring as the richest trotter and pacer of all time to that stage as one-time stablemates in the Dancer barn.

13. Billy Haughton taking both the Cane and the Jug in 1955 with Quick Chief, but he couldn’t win the Messenger because it did NOT start until the following year — and he did win it in 1956 with Belle Acton.

14. Team Allen in 1995 each won a Triple Crown race — Mike taking the Kentucky Futurity with C R Trackmaster and brother Rod the Yonkers Trot with C R Kay Suzie.

15. Walter Dear and Volomite finishing 1-2 — Walter Cox would also take the next two checks in the 1929 Hambletonian.

16. Alf Palema and King Conch going 1-2 in the 1992 Hambletonian for 31-year-old Per Eriksson — his third Hambletonian.

Driving milestones

Which drivers were the first to important milestones? Take a look:

200 wins — 1961 Bob Farrington 201
300 wins — 1964 Bob Farrington 312
400 wins — 1968 Herve Filion 407
500 wins — 1971 Herve Filion 543
600 wins — 1972 Herve Filion 605
700 wins — 1986 Mike Lachance 770
800 wins —1989 Herve Filion 814
900 wins — 1,000 wins: 1998 Walter Case, Jr. 1076
1100 wins — 2007 Tim Tetrick 1189

Holy, Toledo! It’s Wilt Chamberlain

In 1965, 15 of the top 22 most expensive yearlings sold that year were Hanovers. The top selling Hanover went to none other than Wilt “The Stilt” Chamberlain. Toledo Hanover — #3 on the season overall.

#3 Toledo Hanover — $61,000
#4 Leahy Hanover — $60,000
#5 Hartack Hanover — $53,000
#6 Payson Hanover — $46,000
#7 Starglow Hanover — $40,000
#9 Romulus Hanover — $35,000
#12 Magpie Hanover — $30,800
#13 Tempest Hanover — $30,000
#15 Bolger Hanover — $30,000
#16 Liberace Hanover — $27,000
#18 Marvel Hanover — $27,000
#19 Boven Hanover — $27,000
#20 Mombo Hanover — $26,500
#21 Scully Hanover — $26,000
#22 Pocono Hanover — $26,000

Runner-ups…

… to Billy Haughton’s eight straight earnings titles from 1952-1959:

1952 — James Jordan
1953 — Del Miller
1954 and 1955 — Joe O’Brien
1956 and 1957 — John Simpson, Sr.
1958 — Stanley Dancer
1959 — Clint Hodgins

… to John Campbell’s national earnings titles:

1979 — Herve Filion
1980 — Carmine Abbatiello
1983 — Bill O’Donnell
1986-1987-1988 — Bill O’Donnell
1989-1990 — Mike Lachance
1992-1993-1994 — Jack Moiseyev
1995 — Mike Lachance
1998 — Mike Lachance
2000 — Luc Ouellette
2002 — Dave Miller