12. Modern American Champions
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
CHAPTER TWELVE Nevele Pride and retired as the fastest trotting mare MODERN ERA CHAMPIONS in history. Belle Acton won fifty eight races, retired as the The early champions were commonly those that highest ever money earning standardbred, and only established the fastest times, yet were renowned for mare to better two minutes on a half mile track. their endurance. Age was certainly no barrier either, The number of Classic Race wins is a reliable as many raced for up to sixteen seasons using indicator of relative racing performance, as it equipment that was heavy and cumbersome. The measures success at the top level. Table 12.1 lists horses of this chapter have raced during the last the ten trotters with the largest number of Classic sixty four years and under far better racing Race victories. The mares Grades Singing and conditions. With a few minor exceptions, the one Peaceful Way are another two that could also have mile dash has replaced heat racing and careers are claimed a place among the greatest ten trotters of often completed after just two years of racing. the Modern Era. TROTTING CHAMPIONS TABLE 12.1 GREATEST MODERN TROTTERS Most of the champions on the following lists have Classic Race wins Peace Corps 41 earned their place by extending their careers to Mack Lobell (1984) 35 open company, and racing over a diversity of tracks. Nevele Pride (1965) 33 Many have also competed against the best of Moni Maker (1993) 33 Europe and prevailed under foreign conditions. Super Bowl (1969) 27 There are many champions, particularly mares, Armbro Flight (1962) 24 which have narrowly missed selection on this elite Grades Singing (1982) 21 list. While space does not permit all of these to be Scott Frost (1952) 18 discussed the following do warrant mention. Savoir (1968) 18 Peaceful Way (2001) 17 Continentalvictory not only defeated the colts regularly but in winning the Hambletonian trotted the fastest mile in history. Her Triple Crown was denied The second measure used in selecting the greatest through injury. She was retired to stud at three while trotters of the Modern Era is the number of wins to Moni Maker, from the same crop, raced on into starts over their entire career. Table 12.2 lists the history and is discussed below. top ten performers. Another mare, Fresh Yankee, was the first While win to race ratio and Classic Race wins are American trotter to win one million dollars. Her reliable indicators of performance, they are not the eighty nine wins represented almost half of her one only ones that need to be included. Consideration hundred and ninety one starts, many of them must also be given to such factors as track size, against world class opposition. She was voted duration of racing career and quality of opposition. Trotting Mare of the Year four times and held five For example, Muscle Hill has an amazing win ratio, world records. She was one of the few to defeat as have recent champions such as Glidemaster, Donato Hanover, and Deweycheatumnhowe. All had carefully managed careers that avoided the smaller SCOTT FROST half mile tracks, and each raced only in their own age groups. It will never be known whether any of them could have matched the international exploits of Peace Corps and Mack Lobell, or the free-for-all dominance of Nevele Pride. TABLE 12.2 GREATEST MODERN TROTTERS- RATIOS Career record Win ratio Muscle Hill (2006) 20/21 .95 Nevele Pride (1965) 57/67 .85 Armbro Flight (1962) 51/65 .79 Mack Lobell (1984) 71/94 .76 Super Bowl (1969) 38/51 .75 Scott Frost (1952) 51/71 .72 SCOTT FROST (1952) T1:58.3 Pine Chip (1990) 23/35 .66 Earnings: $310,685 Continentalvictory (1993) 19/29 .66 2YO 3YO 4YO Total Peace Corps (1986) 59/92 .64 Wins 23 18 10 51 Moni Maker (1993) 67/105 .64 Races 28 21 22 71 Speedy Crown (1968) 29/50 .58 USTA Trotter of Year: 2YO-3YO-4YO+ USTA Horse of Year: 1955-1956 Other measures used include; the number of world Triple Crown 1955 USTA Hall of Fame 1984 records, the number of Horse of the Year awards, success in Triple Crown events, and stake earnings CLASSIC RACE RECORD FOR SCOTT FROST relative to the periods in which they raced. Table 12.3 lists the final ten that I have selected as the Greatest Trotters of the Modern Era. Listing is by year of foaling, enabling a better understanding of the improvement in times and earnings over time. TABLE 12.3 GREATEST MODERN ERA TROTTERS Scott Frost (1952) Armbro Flight (1962) Nevele Pride (1965) Speedy Crown (1968) Super Bowl (1969) Mack Lobell (1984) The first two year old trotter to win a race in two Peace Corps (1986) minutes, Scott Frost set a race record in winning the Pine Chip (1990) Hambletonian the following year. Moni Maker (1993) He become the first three-year-old trotter to record Muscle Hill (2006) more than one two minute mile win, doing so three Chapter twelve: Modern Era champions 196 times. He was the fastest and highest stake earning CLASSIC RACE RECORD FOR ARMBRO FLIGHT trotter of the year at both two and three and became the first harness horse to win the Triple Crown. At four, in his final year of racing, he was the leading stake earner in America. ARMBRO FLIGHT ARMBRO FLIGHT (1962) T1:59.0 NEVELE PRIDE Earnings: $493,602 2YO 3YO 4YO Total Wins 20 22 9 51 Races 26 26 13 65 USTA Trotter of Year: 3YO Canadian Horse of Year: 1964-1965-1966 Canadian Hall of Fame 1976 USTA Hall of Fame 1998 Retired after beating the best trotters in the world in the 1966 Roosevelt International Trot, Armbro Flight was then the highest money winning trotting mare in NEVELE PRIDE (1965) T1:54.4 North America. Earnings: $873,350 2YO 3YO 4YO Total She beat the colts in the Horseman Futurity, Wins 26 21 10 57 Kentucky Futurity and Dexter Cup. A highlight of her Races 29 24 14 67 career was her performance in the Hambletonian USTA Trotter of Year: 2YO-3YO-4YO+ where she was narrowly beaten in the gruelling USTA Horse of Year: 1967-1968-1969 three-horse fourth final. Armbro Flight produced Triple Crown 1968 thirteen foals, all of which raced. Her progeny USTA Hall of Fame 1994 includes millionaire Hambletonian winner Armbro Goal plus World Champion Armbro Regina. Chapter twelve: Modern Era champions 197 CLASSIC RACE RECORD FOR NEVELE PRIDE SPEEDY CROWN (1968) T1:57.1 Earnings: $545,495 2YO 3YO 4YO Total Wins 4 15 10 29 Races 8 24 18 50 USTA Trotter of Year: 3YO-4YO+ USTA Trotter of Year: 1971 USTA Hall of Fame 2000 Speedy Crown is the only horse on the list to sire another on the list, his daughter Moni Maker. Speedy Crown is consistently voted as one of the stars of the Modern Era, due mainly to his wonderful four year old season in which he defeated the great race mares Une De Mai and Fresh Yankee, then lowered Nevele Prideʼs world record for a five eighths track. CLASSIC RACE RECORD FOR SPEEDY CROWN A World Champion in each season that he raced and highest stake earner of the year at both two and three, Nevele Pride retired as the fastest trotter of all time after lowering the thirty one year old record of Greyhound. Nevele Pride also became the second wealthiest North American trotter of all time and is consistently voted Greatest Trotter of the Modern Era. SPEEDY CROWN SUPER BOWL World Champion on a five eights track at two, Super Bowl became the third fastest two year old of all time behind Nevele Pride and Noble Gesture. He was a World Champion again at three when he lowered the mark set by Nevele Pride as the fastest three year old in history. At three he had eighteen consecutive race wins, established a season earning record for trotters and became only the sixth trotter to take the Triple Crown. Retired at three he established a long running siring rivalry with Speedy Crown. Chapter twelve: Modern Era champions 198 MACK LOBELL MACK LOBELL SUPER BOWL (1969) T1:56.2 (1984) T1:52.1 Earnings: $601,006 Earnings: $3,917,504 2YO 3YO Total 2YO 3YO Aged Europe Total Wins 15 23 38 Wins 10 13 16 32 71 Races 23 28 51 Races 20 16 20 38 94 USTA Trotter of Year: 2YO-3YO USTA Trotter of Year: 2YO-3YO-4YO+ USTA Trotter of Year: 1972 USTA Trotter of Year: 1987-1988 Triple Crown 1972 USTA Horse of Year: 1987-1988 Swedish Horse of Year: 1989 CLASSIC RACE RECORD FOR SUPER BOWL The fastest two and three year old in the history of trotting, Mack Lobell became the fastest ever trotter in America at three and in Europe at age four. Mack Lobell consistently ranks with Greyhound and Nevele Pride as one of the greatest three trotters of all time and was outstanding on both American and European tracks over six seasons. His European record boasts thirty two wins and five seconds from thirty eights races against the very best. Twice he won the Swedish Eltilopp, a feat achieved by only eight horses in the fifty eight years that it has been run. He was also victorious in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Norway and Finland. Chapter twelve: Modern Era champions 199 CLASSIC RACE RECORD FOR MACK LOBELL Her European victories, over five years, included the prestigious Elitlopp, along with the top races of France, Italy and Norway.