Historic harness memories baked in the summer

by Bob Heyden

Let’s take a look at a baker’s dozen historic summertime standardbred happenings.

1. Albatross on July 1, 1972 at Sportsman’s Park. He won the $25,000 race by 1½ lengths over Kentucky and Nansemond. He lowered his own mark to 1:54.3, edging past his previous career best of 1:54.4 set twice in the 1971 Tattersalls. His 1:54.3 mark would last for four years until Jade Prince beat it with a 1:54.1 mile at The Red Mile in October of 1976.

2. John Campbell’s richest win came on the first Saturday in August of 2006 when Glidemaster won the $1.5 million Hambletonian with a 1:51.1 stakes record.

3. Early in the summer of 1984 at The Meadowlands, 16-year-old Susan Looney won a pari-mutuel race with One For All to become the youngest driver to ever do so. Shortly after, the age rule was changed and no other 16-year-old was able to duplicate Looney’s feat. What is she doing now? Dr. Susan Looney was just voted CEO of the Year from the American Association Of Community Colleges as the president of Reading Area Community College.

4. June 27, 1998 in the Ladyship Stakes at The Meadowlands, Campbell drove sophomore pacing filly Armbro Romance to a 1:49.4 win over fellow Artsplace filly Galleria to record history’s first female sub-1:50 race mile. Six weeks later, Campbell upped the ante with the first sub-1:50 effort by a mare when Jays Table won the Breeders Crown in 1:49.3.

5. In the 2008 Hambletonian, Deweycheatumnhowe defeated Crazed to become the only horse to be undefeated through the Hambletonian. Tim Tetrick drove the runner-up for Team Antonacci. Tetrick ended the year with a record total for any driver of $19,752,066 despite missing the final six weeks for hip surgery. Had Crazed gotten up to win in the Hambletonian, Tetrick would have had the sport’s only $20 million season by a driver.

6. In the 2005 Meadowlands Pace, owner Jeffrey Snyder finished 1-2 with Rocknroll Hanover defeating Village Jolt.

7. August 23, 1969 in the Roosevelt International, Une De Mai got the measure of two-time defending Horse of the Year Nevele Pride over 1¼ miles in 2:33.2. After the race, Nevele Pride’s trainer, Stanley Dancer, said he was taking his horse home for a rest. Instead, eight days later, Nevele Pride won in 1:54.4 to lower the 1:55 world record Greyhound set 31 years prior. Six days after that, Nevele Pride set a new half-mile world record of 1:56.4 that stood for 19 years until Mack Lobell surpassed it in1988.

8. A post 10 winner in the Hambletonian? Not until the August 2023 edition when Tactical Approach skimmed the pylons for Scott Zeron and Nancy Takter. Tetrick took the companion Oaks with Heaven Hanover also from the far outside on the same day.

9. In July of 2017, Walner set the Dancer record at The Meadowlands with a breezy 1:50.2 stakes best. He was set to be a huge favorite in the Hambletonian, but was scratched due to injury and was soon on to an outstanding stallion career.

10. July 11, 2015, J L Cruze and Campbell combined for the sport’s first sub-1:50 trotting mile at The Meadowlands. The 1:49.4 mile came while holding off defending Trotter of the Year Shake It Cerry.

11. Jenna’s Beach Boy set his 1:47.3 world record on June 22, 1996 – one day into the summer. He is still the only pacer to win the Breeders Crown at 2, 3, and 4.

12. In the summers of 1977 and 1978, Ron Pierce, then working as a caretaker for Art Unger, was instrumental in veteran gelding Shadyside Trixie’s success. Pierce also worked for Ernie Spruce and the Dancers, too. Today, Pierce is on the brink of turning 70.

13. All three Triple Crown dead heats came in summertime – the 1989 Hambletonian with Probe and Park Avenue Joe, the 1992 Yonkers Trot with McCluckey and Magic Lobell, and the 2004 Cane Pace at Freehold between Timesareachanging and Western Terror.