The superstar pacer capped a phenomenal 2023 campaign by his owner and breeder Diamond Creek Farm. He was also voted Pacer of the Year and sophomore pacing colt of the year as Diamond Creek had a piece of 11 Dan Patch awards.

story by Ken Weingartner / USTA media relations manager for USHWA
quotes by Dave Briggs

Harness racing’s richest and fastest performer last season, Confederate, added another honor to his résumé Sunday (Feb. 25) when he was named the 2023 Horse of the Year to conclude the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s Dan Patch Awards banquet, presented by Caesars Entertainment, at Rosen Centre in Orlando, FL.

Confederate, a 3-year-old colt who also received Pacer of the Year on Sunday, was named Horse of the Year on 112 of the 129 returned ballots. Three-year-old colt Tactical Approach, who was announced as Trotter of the Year on Sunday, was second with seven votes.

They were followed by 3-year-old pacing filly Sylvia Hanover with three, 4-year-old pacing gelding Bythemissal and 4-year-old trotting mare Jiggy Jog S with two, and 6-year-old trotting stallion It’s Academic and 2-year-old trotting colt Karl with one.

Confederate became the eighth 3-year-old male pacer this century to be honored as Horse of the Year, and the 20th overall since the award was first given in 1947.

In balloting for Pacer of the Year, Confederate received 122 votes to top a group of four horses to receive at least one nod. In balloting for Trotter of the Year, Tactical Approach garnered 99 votes, followed by Jiggy Jog S with 10 and Karl with nine. Four other trotters received at least one vote.

Confederate won 13 of 15 races last season and earned $1.63 million. In addition to leading the sport in purses, Confederate became the fastest 3-year-old pacer in history thanks to his 1:46.1 score in September at Lexington’s Red Mile. His time bettered the previous mark by three-fifths of a second and only four older pacers have gone faster, topped by Bulldog Hanover’s 1:45.4 mile in 2022.

A son of Sweet Lou—Geothermal, Confederate was trained by Brett Pelling, driven by Tim Tetrick, owned by Diamond Creek Racing, and bred by Diamond Creek Farm. Diamond Creek Racing was honored as the 2023 Owner of the Year while Diamond Creek Farm was the Breeder of the Year.

“It’s the culmination of the hard work and the blood sweat and tears that everybody’s poured into it and the Super Bowl and NBA championship all wrapped up in one, said Diamond Creek owner and founder Adam Bowden, who added that winning the Horse of the Year title with a homebred was, “the ultimate. I don’t know that there is a bigger crowning achievement.”

Bowden started Diamond Creek 18 years ago and even brought his banker to the Dan Patch Awards partly to prove he wasn’t crazy to have started a horse farm.

“My father and I started it, and his father that introduced me to the sport,” Bowden said. “Now I get to pass it on to my kids.”

Bowden was clearly delighted his young son and daughter took center stage at the Dan Patch Awards.

“You saw my son, so you know, he’s obsessed and it runs through his blood, too. So, it’s kind of nice, and there’s four generations, they’re all wrapped up in one horse.”

Earlier in the evening, Bowden thanked trainer Brian Brown for conditioning Confederate at 2 and for always being the first person to text after Confederate won a race at 3 while in Pelling’s barn.

The colt was Pelling’s second Horse of the Year winner in three years, joining Test Of Faith in 2021, and his third overall, with Rocknroll Hanover in 2005. Tetrick has been the regular driver of three Horse of the Year honorees, with Confederate joining Shartin N in 2019 and Chapter Seven in 2012.

Pelling said his biggest point of emphasis was, “just making sure [Confederate] stayed strong. I think that was that was it more than anything… I never wanted to see him get tired.

“He’s always been a high speed horse. So, I never felt he was going to be compromised by not being in the lead. He could chase horses down and everything.”

Along the way, the trainer developed a deep admiration for Confederate.

“He is a beautiful, kind horse,” Pelling said. “He was eager to please. And you know, I’ve never thought the other Sweet Lous [I’ve trained] were mean. I haven’t had a lot of them, but I never thought they were my friends. But he was my friend.”

Confederate’s wins included the Meadowlands Pace, Breeders Crown, Cane Pace, Max C. Hempt Memorial, and Kentucky Sire Stakes Championship Series final. After finishing second by a head in the North America Cup, he reeled off 11 consecutive victories, with nine coming by two lengths or more.

Tactical Approach was the season’s richest trotter, with $1.5 million in purses, good for 10th in history for a 3-year-old male trotter. The colt hit the board in 17 of 19 races, winning 10, with his triumphs including the Hambletonian, Breeders Crown and Kentucky Futurity.

A son of Tactical Landing—Sarcy, Tactical Approach was trained by Nancy Takter, driven by Scott Zeron, owned by Robert LeBlanc, John Fielding, and Joe Sbrocco & JAF Racing, and bred by Steve Stewart and Oakwood Farms. Zeron was the 2023 Driver of the Year.

Previously announced Dan Patch Award divisional champions also were honored Sunday at the banquet.

Division-winning pacers were 2-year-old colt Captain Albano, 2-year-old filly Geocentric, 3-year-old filly Sylvia Hanover, 4-year-old gelding Bythemissal, 5-year-old mare Grace Hill, and Confederate.

Division-winning trotters were 2-year-old colt Karl, 2-year-old filly Soiree Hanover, 3-year-old filly Bond, 6-year-old stallion It’s Academic, 4-year-old mare Jiggy Jog S, and Tactical Approach.

Other honorees included Stan Bergstein-Proximity Achievement Award winners Brittany Farms and Jason Settlemoir, Trainer of the Year Ake Svanstedt, and Rising Star Jay Hochstetler.

Also recognized at the banquet were the members of the 2024 Hall of Fame class, which will be inducted on July 7 in Goshen, N.Y.: Jim Campbell, Ed Lohmeyer, and David McDuffee, as well as communicators Tim Bojarski and the late Dave Brower.

A complete list of winners can be found here on the U.S. Harness Writers Association’s website. For complete Horse of the Year, Pacer of the Year, and Trotter of the Year vote totals, click here.