Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Dan Patch Award Finalists Announced

December 19, 2005

Three-year-old pacer Rocknroll Hanover and older trotters Peaceful Way and Mr Muscleman spent the majority of harness racing's stakes season dominating the competition. Now, they can stake claims to the offseason, too. The three -- who ended the season tightly bunched at the top of the Hambletonian Society/Breeders Crown Top 10 poll -- were among five horses named Dan Patch Award winners Monday by the U.S. Harness Writers Association. Also locking up honors by being the only recipients of at least 10 percent of the vote in their divisions were 2-year-old trotters Passionate Glide and Chocolatier.

Dan Patch Award winners will be honored at the Night of Champions banquet February 8 at the Bellagio Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. Winners in the seven remaining contested divisions will be announced at that time, plus Trotter, Pacer and Horse of the Year.

Finalists in contested divisions are Jereme's Jet and Western Ace, 2-year-old male pacers; Darlin's Delight and My Little Dragon, 2-year-old filly pacers; Belovedangel and Cabrini Hanover, 3-year-old filly pacers; Strong Yankee and Vivid Photo, 3-year-old male trotters; Blur and Her Culese, 3-year-old filly trotters; Admiral's Express, Boulder Creek, Maltese Artist and Ponder, older male pacers; and Burning Point and Loyal Opposition, mare pacers. A horse needed to receive at least 20 votes from 200 returned ballots to be a Dan Patch Award finalist.

Rocknroll Hanover, who was ranked No. 1 in the final Standardbred poll, won 12 of 18 races and $2.22 million, the third-highest seasonal earnings in history behind Gallo Blue Chip (2000) and Cam's Card Shark (1994). Rocknroll Hanover's wins included the North America Cup, Meadowlands Pace and Breeders Crown. He was named on 191 of the 200 USHWA ballots.

Mr Muscleman won 12 of 14 starts, including the Breeders Crown, Maple Leaf, Titan Cup and Trotting Classic, en route to $1.36 million in purses. His earnings were the highest for a trotter since Moni Maker earned $1.49 million in 1999 and was voted Horse of the Year, the last trotter to receive the award. This is Mr Muscleman's second Dan Patch Award in the older male trotter division, and third overall. He was the 3-year-old champ in 2003. This year, he got 191 votes.

Peaceful Way won nine of 10 races and $660,804. She equaled the world record for female trotters with a 1:51.4 win at the Meadowlands and counted the Breeders Crown, Armbro Flight, American-National and Classic Oaks among her victories. She received 195 votes.

Chocolatier became the fastest 2-year-old trotter in history with a 1:54.4 win at Lexington's Red Mile in October. He won eight of 10 starts, including the Breeders Crown and American-National, and earned $508,250. He got 197 votes.

Passionate Glide had five wins and five second-place finishes in 11 races while earning $638,947. She won the Breeders Crown and Goldsmith Maid. She received 171 votes.

Strong Yankee won eight of his final 13 races of the year after starting the season with seven setbacks. He won the Yonkers Trot, Kentucky Futurity and Breeders Crown and earned $1.19 million. Vivid Photo won 16 of 25 starts, including the Hambletonian and World Trotting Derby, and banked $1.48 million. He equaled history's fastest mile for a 3-year-old trotter on a five-eighths of a mile track (1:54.1 at the Meadows) and set the world record for 3-year-old geldings on a mile oval (1:51.2).

Belovedangel won seven of 23 races, finished second nine times, and earned $652,481. She won the Breeders Crown and Courageous Lady. Cabrini Hanover won eight of 18 races and was no worse than third in any start while earning $917,440. Her victories included the Fan Hanover and Nadia Lobell.

Blur won seven of 12 races, including her final four, and earned $867,453. She won the Breeders Crown, Elegantimage and Matron. Her Culese's triumphs included two heat races, the Filly World Trotting Derby and the Kentucky Filly Futurity. She won nine of 21 starts and $342,658.

Burning Point and Loyal Opposition both have previously won Dan Patch awards. Burning Point was the 3-year-old filly champion in 2003. This year, she won eight of 27 races and $687,142 thanks in part to triumphs in the Classic Distaff, Golden Girls and Lady Liberty. Loyal Opposition, the defending mare champ and 2-year-old division winner in 2002, won her final seven races, including the Breeders Crown and Milton. She won 14 of 20 starts for the year and earned $673,525.

Admiral's Express won 17 of 39 races and earned $409,882. Boulder Creek had the Breeders Crown, U.S. Pacing Championship and Pacing Classic among his six wins in 25 starts and earned $978,645. Maltese Artist had nine wins in 25 races, including the Dan Patch Invitational, Battle of Lake Erie and Four Leaf Clover, and earned $463,678. He paced history's fastest mile on a five-eighths track when he won a Pacing Classic leg in 1:48.3 at Dover Downs. Ponder won the Canadian Pacing Derby and Molson Canadian en route to eight wins, 11 seconds and $804,702 in earnings.

Jereme's Jet won six of seven starts and was second in the other. He won the Breeders Crown, Governor's Cup and Metro Pace while earning $1.03 million. Western Ace won 11 of 14 races, including the Woodrow Wilson and Matron. He earned $709,743.

Darlin's Delight was no worse than second in any of her 14 starts, winning nine. Her victories included the Three Diamonds and she earned $560,404 for the season. My Little Dragon was 6-for-6 and earned $486,583. She won the Breeders Crown and Matron and equaled the world record for 2-year-old fillies on a five-eighths of a mile track with a 1:52.3 clocking.