22 Days That Changed Harness Racing
Much has been made of Bulldog Hanover’s victory in the William Haughton Memorial last evening at the Meadowlands. The focus has all been on the 1:45.4 time which makes the horse the fastest Standardbred in history.
For my money, that is not what is most notable. In a span of 22 days, this horse won four (4) significant races against the best older pacers in North America with the slowest winning time being 1:47. This accomplishment is unparalleled. Bulldog Hanover is the finest Standardbred pacer in the world.
As temporary trainer Noel Daley said last night, many horses can go very fast on a given night but who else has been up to the herculean task of what The Bulldog did in 22 days?
(Editor’s Note - today Darling revealed that Bulldog Hanover threw a shoe in the first turn in that 1:45.4 record. Amazing.)
Greatness is defined by one’s competition. Just posting a fast mile means little because it is all about who one beats and how they did it. In the spring I penned a column talking about the depth of this class of older pacers and the nonsense of referring to the three-year-old pacers as the glamour boy group. Look at this group of sophomores and compare them to the older class. Well, there is no comparison and Bulldog beat them all these top older warriors repeatedly and made them like it.
Now what?
It is inevitable that Bulldog Hanover will get beaten. There are too many good horses to face yet again, too many variables of things that can happen in a race and of course the horse’s health. I more or less believe that the truly great ones do not get sick but actually they do get run down even with an apparent higher immune system than most. And things happen.
But it matters not what comes next. Bulldog Hanover has established himself as truly extraordinary with a capital E. Nothing can take away what he did in these 22 days and truthfully, it was actually a 30 day attack as he produced two impressive wins at Woodbine Mohawk Park before he headed south. But of course we all know nothing that happens on Canadian soil really matters.
Jack Darling who developed the horse and co-owner Brad Grant who bought in last June are both fierce Canadians. When they came up with the idea to breed Bulldog Hanover this past breeding season as he prepared to race, they selected Seelster Farms in Lucan, Ontario as the horse’s base. It was a three year arrangement ensuring that the Ontario breeding program gets all the benefit of his presence. He covered 80 mares at the bargain basement fee of $5,000.
But that has not stopped some American operations from sniffing around prior to last night’s exhibition. If one of those farms were to somehow wrangle a deal to take the horse stateside I would argue it to be a death blow to the Ontario breeding program.
Never before has the province been able to attract for stud duty the number one pacer or trotter off the racetrack. There have been some quite successful sires in the province but none had the top billing. But there are two “what if” stories that I have chronicled in the past.
In late 2001, Bettors Delight was coming off victories in the Little Brown Jug and Tattersalls Pace. Owner John (Jack) Grant (late father of Brad Grant) had designs on putting the horse to stud the next year and wanted to have him stand at Armstrong Bros which was maybe 30 minutes driving time from Grant’s own farm north of Oakville.
Unknown to him, the Armstrong family had decided to disperse their holdings and sell the property. The news was not revealed until he spoke with the late Dr. Glen Brown who had the sad task of announcing that it could not happen. Grant felt he had no choice but to turn to the United States and did a deal with Blue Chip Farms. Bettors Delight who is now 24 has been the most remarkable Standardbred stallion in history.
The record shows that in just North American alone he has sired the winners of $306 million and counting. He has easily been the most successful shuttle stallion to the southern hemisphere where his offspring there have piled up much more. But imagine how Ontario would have looked as a jurisdiction if its breeding program had been anchored by Bettors Delight.
Had Armstrong Bros. been still in operation, the province would have doubled down with Somebeachsomewhere. Trainer Brent McGrath has gone on record as saying that had the Inglewood, Ontario operation been still in existence Somebeachsomewhere would not have gone to stud at Hanover Shoe Farms. That was no slight against the Pennsylvania nursery but the ownership group would have simply kept the horse in Canada. Again, imagine if the province was home to Bettors Delight and Somebeachsomewhere.
There is still no Armstrong Bros. and never will be another but here is a third crack at a bonafide number one pacing horse. A program needs to have a flag bearer and Bulldog Hanover will be that and every effort has to be made to ensure he does not be shifted elsewhere.
Bulldog Hannover is American bred and raised but Ontario sired. Jack Darling purchased him as a yearling for US $28,000 which will forever remain one of the great mysteries of public auctions. Darling developed and raced the horse from Classy Lane Stables north of Hamilton. Only eight of his career starts took place other than Ontario.
Amazingly though, prior to last night’s race, there were some critics. The comments included…the track at the Meadowlands is short so all the mile times are questionable, the horse failed to win the North America Cup so was not a premier three-year-old, he never faced open competition at two, on type he looks nothing like his sire Shadow Play, his maternal line is ordinary at best, etc. Our industry does have its share of knockers.
As I write this, The Bulldog and Meadowlands Pace winner Beach Glass are on a truck headed back to Ontario from New Jersey. Missions accomplished. Bulldog is home now for three weeks before heading to the Dan Patch at Hoosier Park.
In other sports or industries, any such accomplishment would be leveraged every possible inch. Think golf (Brooke Henderson/Mike Weir), tennis (Bianca Andreescu) or hockey (a bunch of them including a fella named Gretzky).
A very good case can be made by our sport that we have the best Standardbred horse in the world. But who to carry the message? Ontario Racing? Woodbine Entertainment? Seelster Farms? COSA? Standardbred Canada? May be all of them?
Today, I can find no evidence anywhere in the mainstream media a single mention of Bulldog Hanover’s accomplishment. How is that possible? Is there anyone to claim responsibility for this?
This is a pivotal point in the history of Canadian harness racing. How many times does it happen to have absolutely the very best in any endeavour? If we as an industry do not capitalize on this, well…shame on all of us.
Bulldog Hanover will be home later today. Many have never been up close to the horse to see what a true champion looks like. There will be a slew of breeders who will book to the horse without ever having looked at what makes him go. Do yourself a favour and make the effort. Having had the privilege to see him in the flesh a number of times dating back to when he was being developed in the winter of his two-year-old season, I can guarantee you will like what you see. It is well worth the trip.
Despite this column and the fact that speed is not the sole criteria for judging a racehorse, the focus on Bulldog Hanover will remain all about that teletimer last night. But for those people who really understand performance, it will all be about those 22 days. Whoever follows along in the ensuring years will be judged against those four performances.
22 days that changed harness racing.
