Missed it by that much

Ranking the 10 best seasons that did not result in a Dan Patch Horse of the Year award.

by Bob Heyden

Born the wrong year. I wuz robbed. Too close to call. Timing is everything. Wait ‘til next year. Pick one. Heck, pick them all if they apply.

Let’s count down the top 10 seasons that did not result in a Horse of the Year award, as we prepare for tonight’s (Feb. 22) Dan Patch Awards in Orlando, FL.

10. Windsong’s Legacy in 2004. He won the Triple Crown and every final he was in for a record of nine wins in 12 starts. But, a buzzsaw named Rainbow Blue uncorked a near-perfect 20-for-21 season, which included a Breeders Crown win. The Crown was the one race that Windsong’s Legacy passed on. In the voting, Rainbow Blue earned 119 votes to 98 for Windsong’s Legacy.

9. Speedy Scot in 1964. He was the defending HOY champ and Triple Crown winner in 1963. But, in ’64, freshman sensation Bret Hanover never tasted defeat in 24 tries. Bret Hanover received 70 votes to 57 for Speedy Scot. Ayres, another Triple Crown winner, was third in the voting. It is the only time the top three in the voting would each have a Triple Crown on their resumes.

8. Silk Stockings in 1975. The sensational sophomore filly dominated the boys in the inaugural Monticello OTB Classic, but finished second in the HOY race to Savoir by a vote of 52-49. Savoir had a few more dollars and became the first to sweep the Roosevelt International events in one season.

7. Overcall in 1969. The older pacing horse was a perfect 21-for-21 that year, but the great Nevele Pride hadn’t yet called it a career and won the HOY vote 133-56. Overcall banked $373,150 to lead all pacers, improving to an impressive $783,948 lifetime. Even running the table with 12 of those 21 straight being 2:00 miles wasn’t enough. Nevele Pride won his third consecutive HOY title, an accomplishment that has not been equaled since.

6. Lucky Jim in 2009. He was definitely born in, or starred in, the wrong year. Muscle Hill was campaigning when 4-year-old Lucky Jim won 17 of 18 starts and $1,063,618, with the only loss involving some blatant interference in Canada. Meanwhile, Muscle Hill went 12-for-12, set the single season record, set the Hambletonian mark of 1:50.1, and never seemed to have an anxious moment. In the end, Muscle Hill dominated the HOY vote 164-5, but Lucky Jim’s divisional ballot was very different. Lucky Jim earned 169 votes and no other older male trotter had more than four votes.

5. Deweycheatumnhowe in 2008. His record was 15 12-1-2 that year with earnings of $2,218,987 that was the single-season best at that time. But a colt named Somebeachsomewhere was competing the very same year and he set the new pacing earnings mark of over $2.4 million. Dewey won the $565G World Trotting Derby, $1,500,000 Hambletonian, $930,000 Canadian Trotting Classic as well as the $684G Kentucky Futurity. What a year and it did come down to the Breeders Crown. Somebeachsomewhere was a winner and “Dewey” was third in both horses’ career finale. The ballot was 121-35 for “Beach.”

4. Presidential Ball in 1993. He finished second to Staying Together in the HOY voting 181-44, despite the fact the former banked $2,222,166 in 1993, the richest single-season by a son of Cam Fella. That was more than $1 million more than Staying Together that year ($1,169,155), but Staying Together set the new race mark of 1:48.2 and that didn’t hurt.

3. Scott Frost in 1954. He was a 2-year-old that year and tied with Stenographer for first-place votes, but lost on points. But Scott Frost made up for it with decisive HOY seasons in 1955 and 1956.

2. Most Happy Fella in 1970. He won the Triple Crown that year, but 7-year-old trotting mare Fresh Yankee took down the year-end hardware, despite Most Happy Fella’s $387,239 season.

1. Ralph Hanover in 1983. He finished second in the HOY voting to the “Pacing Machine” Cam Fella 183-90. “Ralph,” by a whopping $297,000, set the new single-season earnings mark of $1,711,990 and won the Triple Crown, but there was no arguing that Cam Fella’s 28-straight wins to wind up his season/career was HOY worthy.

ETCETERA

How is this for a quirky stat? In HOY history, only five times has the winner had single-digit wins. All five were trotters, and all in even years, too:

1962 Su Mac Lad (seven-for-13)

1974 Delmonica Hanover (five for-17)

1996 Continentalvictory (nine-for-12)

2006 Glidemaster (eight-for-15)

2012 Chapter Seven (eight-for-10)