Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

The Name Game
By Kimberly A. Rinker

One of the best parts of buying a yearling is getting to name your new youngster. Over the years, owners and breeders have come up with a host of interesting names that reflect trends in society, as well honoring some viable youngster's backgrounds in the pedigree department.

For instance, take the New Jersey-bred filly christened Harmonics by her connections. This daughter of Donerail is the second foal out of the mare Catchy Little Tune, whose dam is Rhapsody In Blue (Super Bowl). Many fans will recognize that Rhapsody In Blue is the dam of the 1990 USTA Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year, Harmonious, 3,1:53.2 ($1,036,392), as well as Boppin and Gershwin. The latter, a stallion, was exported to Finland, where he produced the 1:55.3 trotter Maestro Hall, among others.

In the pacing ranks we find Love Hurts, an Artsplace colt, and the second foal out of the Jate Lobell mare Feel So Bad. Love Hurt's granddam is the Abercrombie mare Private Tears, whose get include Gently Weeps 3,1:53 ($144,689), Last Teardrop 3, 1:52.4 ($75,216), Solitude 3,1:56f ($66,569), For Crying Outloud 3,1:57.2 ($65,136), Tearful Promise 3,1:56.4 ($51,794), and the three-year-old colt Crier, who paced in 1:58.2 as a two-year-old.

Another well-bred pacer with interesting names to her credit in the pedigree department is the Jate Lobell yearling filly This Kiss, who is out of the prolific Bret Hanover mare Full Of Love. That breeding makes This Kiss a half-sister to champion pacer Ball And Chain p,1:49 ($1,435,390) and a full sister to Loving Success p,3,1:51.3 ($287,012). Full Of Love is out of the Race Time mare Turnpiker who in turn produced the solid race horses Toll Taker, 1:57f ($111,651), Life's Highway 3, 1:58 and Route Forty, 2,1:58.1f, to name a few.

If you take a look at the pedigree of the Jenna's Beach Boy filly Crew Classic, you'll find that this second foal out of Water Well has some interesting names in her third dam's (Sprinkle) progeny line. Crew Classic's second dam Watering Can 3, 1:54.2 ($219, 757) is out of Sprinkle, who also dropped Sprinkler, 1:55.3 ($183,871), the New Jersey sire Distant Thunder 1:56.4 ($162,289), Rain God, 4,1:53.3 ($137,843), Cloud Cover, 1:58.3 ($72,778), and Sudden Shower 3,1:58.1. It could be said that Crew Classic, a gray lass, gets her coloring from her fourth dam, Gray Sky.

A filly who has a ton of musical references in her pedigree is the Jenna's Beach Boy half-sister to Music King p, 3,1:54.1. Ocean Beach is out of the French Chef mare Concertina, 3,1:55.1f, a full sister to Pianist, 1:52.4 ($230,719), Magic Flute 1:56.1f and French Horn 4,2:00.3f.. Concertina is also a half-sister to Accordion 1:55.3 ($250,493), Electric Guitar 4,1:54.3f ($155,338), Chopin p,3, 1:55.2 ($49,698) and Harmonica p,2,1:59.2 ($43,385) a prolific mare in her own right, who produced Tambourine p,4,1:54 ($413,160), Pied Piper, p2,21:55.2 ($330,582), Music By Dnacer p,4,1:57.1h, Noisemaker p,3,1:57.3f, and Compact Disc p,2,1:58f among others.

The Mr Vic colt Magnum Hall would appear to be the name-game product of a novelist or mystery writer. He's out of the Super Bowl mare Miss Mystique, who is out of the Arnie Almahurst mare Mystery Mood. Magnum Hall's third dam is Ghost Writer, who produced ten winning offspring, including: Spirits Supreme 3,T1:57.2 ($363.413), Best Seller 3, 1:57.1 ($250,400), Silent Spook 4,2:00.2f ($105,252), Novel 4,2:00.2f ($56,923), Chilling Thoughts 2, 1:59 ($43,368), and the mare Chiller 3,2:02.4f ($24,331), who produced Hobgoblin 4,2:00f.

Someone with a definite sense of humor was behind the pedigree in the Abercrombie filly Smile Sweetly. This bay filly is out of the Albatross mare Makin Smiles, who has also produced the $2.+ million dollar winning race horse and sire Die Laughing 3,1:51.1f , and the top race horse Go For Grins, 1:51.2 ($302,003), and the mare Giggle Box 3,1:52.3 ($51,362) who in turn produced Toofunnyforwords p,3,1:54.1f ($159,210), Giggle At Life p,2,1:58.1h-'99, and the Life Sign yearling filly

Lifesworthlaughing. Makin Smiles also dropped the Jate Lobell mare Makin Faces 3,1:56.1f (44,383), and Giggles N Grins 3, 1:56. ($49,921).

Smile Sweetly's second dam is the American National winner Real Hilarious 4, 1:58.3f, who was a USTA Two-Year-Old Filly of the Year and a Four-year-Old Mare of the Year. She produced the three-quarter million dollar winner Hilarion 3, 1:54.1, as well as Ludicrous 1:51.3 ($318,795).

The sunny bay colt Allamerican Nomad is the product of Jate Lobell and the Albatross mare No Pre-Sun. Allamerican Nomad is her second foal and is a three-quarter brother to New York Lights, 4, 1:50.4-'99 ($155,615). No Pre-Sun in turn is a three-quarter sister to 1990 USTA Three-Year-Old Colt of the Year, $2 million dollar winner and top sire Beach Towel.

No Pre-Sun's dam is the aptly-named Sunburn, who (besides producing Beach Towel) also carried and delivered Sun Lamp 4, 1:53.4f ($149,630), Lotion 4, 152.4f ($118,886), Sun Baked 1:57.3 ($60,999), Beach Boy 1:56.3f ($51,654), Summer Tan p,2,1:55 ($50,890), Overexposure p,2,1:57.4, Miami Mogul p,3,1:56.3f, On The Beach, p,3,1:58.3f, Sun Prince p,3,1:53.4, RC's Sonshine, p,4,1:59.1f-'99 and No Paba, p,3,1:58.2. The third dam Sunbelle Hanover, produced Sunbest Hanover, p,2,1:59.2f ($266,595) and Sunnyside Hanover p,3,2:00.2 ($129,871).

Back to the musical side of breeding we find Pitch The Prez, a son of Presidential Ball, out of the Samson mare Pitchpipe, herself a two-year-old Kentucky Sires Stakes winner at Lexington. Pitch The Prez's second dam is the Bret Hanover mare Gay Violin, who progeny include: Singing Strings p,4,1:53.2 ($565,326), multiple stakes winners Fiddlers Fun p,4,1:51.1. ($331,572) and Luis Bellini, p,3,1:53.4 ($108,373). Stradivarious is another daughter of Gay Violin, herself a winner of $45,625 with a time trail mark of 1:59.4, and most notably the dam of standout race horses like Please Mr Postpan p,3,1:52.4 ($212,288) and Pizzacato p,3,1:55.1f ($169,903). The fun continues as Gay Violin also produced Justin Strings 1:55.4f ($43,989), Guadagnini 4,1:55.4-'99 ($41,104) and Happy Fiddler p,3,1:56 ($29,245), the dam of Heifetz Hanover p,2,1:54.-'99.