Let’s take a look at some of the most impressive numbers in the game from some of its most impressive participants:

Drivers

Tim Tetrick

He’s quietly become the youngest driver to eclipse $175 million in career earnings, just drove in his 3,000th race of 2016 and is once again in the top three for the third straight year after leading for seven straight seasons.

This year was his 15th straight year of 2,000 or more drives and he is quickly closing in on 50,000 lifetime drives.

He holds the record for seasonal drives, wins and money. In 2007, he had 4,728 assignments and won 1,189 races. In 2008, he collected purse earnings of $19,734,781. His 8,776 drives in consecutive years of 2007-2008 is an all-time best.

Tetrick is the only driver to ever post seven straight $15 million seasons and in six of those years he was past $15 million.

At age 35, he still owns the three biggest money seasons of all time.

He also has won 17 Breeders Crowns before he turned 35.

Trainers

Jimmy Takter
IF Always B Miki is voted Horse Of The Year, he adds his name to a fancy list of those conditioners who’ve had both a Trotter and a Pacer named HOY:
– 1997 Malabar Man
– 1998-1999 Moni Maker

The others are:

Blair Burgess
– 2002 Real Desire
– 2006 Glidemaster

Billy Haughton
– 1977 Green Speed
– 1985 Nihilator

Clint Hodgins
– 1959 Bye Bye Byrd
– 1950 Proximity

Stanley Dancer
– 1962 Su Mac Lad
– 1967-68-69 Nevele Pride
– 1971-1972 Albatross
– 1976 Keystone Ore

Winter’s arrival

How about a race for those horses with the best winter/bad weather names that competed either in the Hambletonian or at the Meadowlands in big money events?

1. STORM DAMAGE, who was second in the 1980 Meadowlands Pace to Niatross, sired Call For Rain. That means Storm Damage was second to the first sub-1:50 time trailer and sired the second ever sub-1:50 race winner.

2. ANOTHER BLIZZARD, was a brother to Jersey Blizzard. Both made over 400 starts, both made over $800,000, both starred in the metro area, both were owned by Paul Minore. Another Blizzard was second twice in a row in the Su Mac Lad 1995-1996.

3. BONNYS COLD FRONT was a higher class pacer in the early 1980s at the Meadowlands, usually driven by Lloyd Gilmour.

4. SNOW SPEED competed in the 1968 Hambletonian (won by Nevele Pride) and was ninth and seventh.

5. COLD COMFORT made the 1977 Hambletonian and couldn’t handle stablemate Green Speed, but then turned superstar winning the Roosevelt International in the final two appearances for 23- and 24-year-old Peter Haughton. (1978-1979)

6. FREEZING COLD competed in the 1996 Hambletonian — the record-setting Continentalvictory year — and was third and sixth.

7. STORM CLOUD was sixth and seventh in the 1957 Hambletonian.

8. WINDSHIELD WIPER was the 1976 Messenger winner, the fastest time-trialer ever for Billy Haughton at the time and was the upsetter in the 1976 Dancer at Freehold when Oil Burner and Keystone Ore went at it.

9. STORM COMPENSATION was the 1991 runnerup in the Haughton.

10. GIANT CHILL was the 1992 Peter Haughton winner.

Memories of Adios and Cam

Muscle Hill’s huge year as a sire brings back memoires of Adios (1958-1962) and Cam Fella (1991-1994).
Adios produced five straight Jug winners from ’58 to ’62:
Shadow Wave (1958), Adios Butler (1959), Bullet Hanover (1960), Henry T Adios (1961) and Lehigh Hanover (1962).
Cam Fella produced four straight Meadowlands Pace winners from ’91 to ’94:
Precious Bunny (1991), Carlsbad Cam (1992), Presidential Ball (1993) and Cams Card Shark (1994).

Ya Never Know Dept.

Stan Bergstein’s 1971 Trotting Experimental list had Noble Gesture ranked a full second (1:57) faster than anyone else. Five of the top 16 were offspring of Noble Victory. Savoir was ranked number four and finished second in the Hambletonian and was Horse of the Year four years later (1975). Number three, A Cs Orion finished third in the Hambletonian. Speedy Crown was number 24 on the list — one from the end. He would win the Hambletonian in 1:57.2 and would go on to be the most prominent trotting stallion — along with Super Bowl — for the next quarter-century.