Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Fun Harness Racing Facts

September 20, 2006

YOUNGEST EVER to $10 million? Mark MacDonald doesn't turn 28 until December 9, and has a very realistic chance to become the first driver EVER under 30 to hit the $10 million mark for a single season. He begins Jug Day-September 21-with $7.3 million-$7,311,806 (U S FUNDS). Prior, these are the three youngest to ever accomplish this feat: 32-John Campbell 1987 $10,186,495 34-Luc Ouellette 1999-$10,841,895 36-Brian Sears 2004 $10,028,306.

Who is the ONLY driver to win a Trotting AND a Pacing Million $ race-AFTER turning 50? Mike Lachance (12/16/50) 50 in 2001 Metro-Mach Three : 50 in 2001-North America Cup Bettors Delight: 52 in 2003 Meadowlands Pace All American Theory: and
52 in 2003 Hambletonian Amigo Hall.

Bill Weaver From Valley High Stables on Chocolatier....Was It A Dream and Valley Victory.....Bill Weaver has plenty to root for in the $1,000,000 Canadian Trotting Classic Saturday night at Mohawk. He bred the starters from posts 1 & 2-Chocolatier and Was It A Dream-as well as the grandsire of the Hambletonian winner Glidemaster, Valley Victory. His Valley High Stable is located in Freehold New Jersey.

Bill, "I raised Valley Victory at Vernon Dancers farm. (Valley Victory was foaled 5/20/86) Carter Duer saw Valley Victory as a yearling in the field one day and asked me, "Who is THAT?" He knew. An experienced horseman like that, you cannot teach that. He just knew. He told me that he would love to have the opportunity to sell a horse like that, and he did. Valley Victory had the right attitude you need to be a top horse-AND a top sire. He just had it."

The dam of Chocolatier-Maple Frosting- (a daughter of Valley Victory), "Had no ability and no desire to do anything. Except to visit her feed tub. Nothing else. She was very difficult then-and is now as well-to get in foal. The dam of Was It A Dream was the exact opposite of her. Like night and day. Bold Dreamer was a bigger aggressive mare, a little tough to handle and a little miserable to be around. But her first foal is him (Was It A Dream) and her second is the filly who just won the Oakville-Pampered Princess."

How was Chocolatier early on? Bill, "He was a ridgling-which I think is the reason he only brought $50,000. A beautiful colt. Anne Schlictig helped prepare him for the sale-he needed a touch more weight on him. She did an absolutely fantastic job with him. Carter Duer-I first met him when Valley Victory was a yearling-he is so good at what he does. I've maintained that relationship and friendship to this day."

Chocolatier's now a colt-due to the other testicle descending between his 2 & 3 Year Old seasons while in Kentucky. Bill continued, "A good trainer can tell a lot by looking at a yearlings eyes. There was a long time where I didn't believe that-but I've seen it enough times now to know it is true. Before a horse races, I think there are two things you can tell very quickly about a horse. Their gait and their attitude."

What about Yankee Glide, the sire of Glidemaster and Passionate Glide, the LEADING sire of 3 Year olds in North America this year, and himself a son of Valley Victory? Bill, "His first crop or two wasn't as good as the last few. That's because the mares have gotten better. He wasn't syndicated early on. I believe Kentuckiana took over after his first crop. I would strongly recommend to someone if they have a top horse to syndicate them. This way you can guarantee mares going to that horse."

Fun Facts about the 2006 Canadian Trotting Classic
John Campbell, driving Glidemaster. The number of million dollar races that John has won by the numbers: 22 million dollar race wins, making John the #1 all time driver in that category. Mike Lachance is next with ten million dollar race wins.

The 2006 Hambletonian was the richest race John Campbell ever won at $1,500,000. It was four years from million dollar win number 21 (the 2002 Meadowlands Pace, which he won with Mach Three) to number 22 (the $1.5 milllion Hambletonian with Glidemaster).

John Campbell's six Hambletonian victories are his six TROTTING million dollar wins. He has 16 million dollar Pacing wins. John has repeated million dollar race wins with Cams Card Shark (1994), Davids Pass (1995) and with The Panderosa (1999). He is looking for his first repeat with a trotter. Johns first million race win came in 1982--at age 27--with Hilarion in the Meadowlands Pace.

For Less Than $30,000-TOTAL---How'd You Like To Make It To The Canadian Trotting Classic twice in three years???? That is exactly the case with Justice Hall and Berto Primo. Justice Hall was a $15,000 yearling, and he was 4th placed third in the 2004 Canadian Trotting Classic and now Berto Primo is trying to get money of his own, for the same connections, far beyond his yearling tag! Both of these trotters had/have the services of Bill O'Donnell. That means that Billy O'Donnell--a 1990 Hall Of Fame Inductee--hit the board in a million dollar race 23 YEARS apart---in 1981 he was second with Computer in the Meadowlands Pace, then 3rd in the 2004 Canadian Trotting Classic.

Cream Of The Crop--The top four trotting sires of 2006 Three-Year-Olds are all represented in the Canadian Trotting Classic: #1 Yankee Glide $3.1 million Glidemaster & Global Glide #2 Credit Winner $2.7 million R C Royalty and Chocolatier (Fittingly-the top TWO sires have dual representation) #3 Angus Hall $1.6 million Majestic Son #4 S Js Photo $1.56 million Instant Photo & Bacardi Lindy (NOTE: S JS Photo is the ONLY SIRE in this field to have won the Canadian Trotting Classic TWICE; in 2001 with S Js Caviar and in 2005 wth Classic Photo).

Respect Your Elders--Nine of the 30 editions of the Canadian Trotting Classic were won by a driver PAST his 50th BIRTHDAY!! Included was 62-year-old Billy Haughton in 1986 with Traveling Salesman, the last stakes win of his career. Also, 67-year-old Del Miller won it in 1990 with Devil Hanover. Ron Pierce (50) and John Campbell (51) are eligible to make that number hit double figures in 2006. Pierce has Global Glide and Campbell handles Glidemaster. Speaking of respecting your elders, Garland Lobell, now 25-years-old and with his breeding career in his rear view mirror, is the oldest of the sires in this field. (Berto Primo). The youngest is Credit Winner at age nine.

Freshman Jinx-2006? So far in the history of the Canadian Trotting Classic not once has the two-year-old trotting champion come back at three and won the CTC!! Not once has the Breeders Crown Trotting winner as a freshman come back the following year and captured the CTC! Not only did Chocolatier win both last year, he got 197 votes in the year-end ballot and no other horse got more than four. He'll look to snap on 0-30 skein for freshman champs, and an 0-22 skid for the Breeders Crown two-year-old kings.

Spreading The Wealth There have been 30 editions of the Canadian Trotting Classic-and 28 DIFFERENT drivers have won one. ONLY Billy Haughton (1976, 1986) and Ron Pierce (2003, 2005) have repeated. This year, Ron Pierce will try to do what no driver has done in now the 31st edition. Win it back to back, and win it three times total (Global Glide).