by Bob Heyden

What do horsepeople have on their bucket list? Let’s go around the horn.

Brian Brown: “I guess it would be winning the Jug and the Meadowlands Pace.”

Brad Grant: “To win the North America Cup and the Jug.”

Peter Blood: “We bought a Summa Cum Laude colt at the Jug sale [Hip #133] and I’m kind of looking forward to Boston Rocks’ 4-year-old season. I’ll be 81 in April and have slowed down considerably.”

Mike Keeling: “Attend the Prix d’Amérique. Competing in Europe is also something I’d like to try.”

Bob McClure: “If there’s one race I’d really like to win, it would be The Gold Cup and Saucer.”

Kim McCusker: “I’ve had one since I was 10. I have Greece, Thailand, and the Russian Red Square as just some on my bucket list.”

Megan Scran: “Of course I have a bucket list. It would be amazing to win either the Hambletonian or the Oaks. It’s very hard to do.”

Travis Alexander: “I have lots left to do. Win the She’s A Great Lady, the Metro, the Jug, the North America Cup, as well as the Hambletonian, and the Yonkers Trot. Canada has the coolest trophies.”

Bonnie Butler: “There are a few, one this September, a safari. When I was much younger winning my first race and then my first at The Meadowlands, but getting a PhD was not on the list. Machu Picchu was one that was on my list. I went twice, in two consecutive years, and worked for Rutgers for six weeks. A great experience. I tell my friends if I ever go missing look for me in New Zealand. Such a stunning country.”

Carl Porcelli, Jr.: “Lots of golf. I’ll try and last long enough to watch my grandson play baseball. He’s 5 and just started t-ball.”

Renee Kierans: “A trip to the Philippines.”

Scott DiDomenico: “I never really came up with one. Obviously, I want to be in the big dances and succeed in them. But honestly I’m pretty happy to go to work every day with a hard hat on and go to battle every day and every night.”

Aaron Merriman: “I’d like to travel and spend more time with the family.”

Hector Clouthier: “Restricting my bucket list to the horse racing world, my number one item would be attending the Elitlopp at Solvalla Racetrack in Stockholm, Sweden. Last year, I attended the Prix d’Amérique in Paris, and it was a fabulous experience. My number two item would be to have a Commissioner for harness horse racing that would be North America wide. If we want to promote ourselves as a major league sport, we should replicate the leadership model of other major sports such as football, hockey, basketball, and baseball. The first item on the bucket list is probably more reachable than the second item. But I firmly believe we need a dramatic change in our approach in harness racing or we face serious consequences.”

Blair Burgess: “Just want to win another Hambo, and later a Prix d’Amérique. Likely an impossible dream but some bucket lists are so. Maybe a more realistic one is walking one of the Caminos in Southern Europe.”

Jerry Glantz: “I’ve lived a great life. My only wish would be to own one great horse before it’s over.”

Connie Hochstetler: “Going to the Prix d’Amérique and playing golf at Pebble Beach.”

Bernie Noren: “In racing it would be winning the Hambletonian. On a personal level, I’d like to see the pyramids. It’s an amazing structure.”

Arild Eggen: “I won a big one in 1998 [Breeders Crown with Fern] and a big one in Norway in 2013. Maybe the 2030 Prix d’Amérique is on my bucket list.”

Brad McNinch: “I want to meet Bobby Orr and Joni Mitchell.”

Jack Darling: “I want to see a son of Bulldog Hanover break his 1:45.4 mark. I still love training 2-year-olds and seeing how good they can be. That’s the exciting part for me.”

John Kopas: “Travel to Europe. I’m a student of history. I want to see Lipizzans and Grosbois.”

Billy Haughton, Jr.: “To catch and win the Hambletonian… or the Elitlopp.”

Helene Gregory: “I’m actually checking one off of this year’s list as I booked a trip to Montana in August to ride with the cowboys at a ranch. My next bucket list is a horseback safari in Africa. I already did two: traveling to Rome, as well as showing my standardbreds at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. Plus, racing under saddle was another bucket list check.”