Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Harness Happenings

for the week of May 1-7, 2005

Cat Manzi Posts Career Win 11,028
With the aptly named The Intimidator, Hall of Fame driver Cat Manzi posted career victory 11,028, moving into second-place on the list of all-time leading dash-winning drivers in North America on Saturday night at the Meadowlands. The tenth race victory was Manzi's third of the night and followed on four trips to the winner's circle at Freehold in the afternoon. Manzi, 54, surpassed the 11,027 total of Walter Case Jr. and trails only Herve Filion with 15,103 wins. The Freehold, New Jersey resident won the Meadowlands' second race with Art Maker and then tied Case with American Fury in the fourth race. The Intimidator provided victory number 11,028. Manzi's mounts have accounted for more than $103 million in purse earnings.

Cat entered the month of May over 50 wins in front of Mark MacDonald. Here are a couple of new Cat stats to ponder as he tries to win the North American dash title for the first time ever (he was second in 1989, 1990). If he wins the title, it'll be both the oldest ever first time winner, and he will have done so after 71,000 career drives! Cat is the only driver ever--to post his 9,000th, his 10,000th and his 11,000th win after turning 50, and he will soon add to his record of 18 straight 2,000 drive seasons.

Great Going Grey
When Admirals Express won his start at Woodbine prior to shipping out for the Dan Patch at Hoosier Park, the nine-year-old gelding became the richest grey pacer ever.
Admirals Express $1,143,687; Broadway Express $1,141,726; Jet Laag $1,001,746.
It is interesting to note that this is not just some longevity list. Admirals Express has more winning sub 1:50- miles in Canada than any other horse and Jet Laag was and is the fastest ever half mile track performer at 1:49 flat.

Oldies & Goodies
The ol' 1-2, or in this case the old one-two. What horses were the oldest who finished first and second together in the 29-year-history of the Meadowlands? It came on February 2, 1983, when 13-year-old Arbor Bachelor outgamed 12-year-old Jiggs And Reels to the wire by half a length over a sloppy track. John Campbell over Frank Collazo, Jr. They were also the two betting choices. Sweet Sixteen
---Sixteen straight wins that Rainbow Blue had in her career before she made a miscue and broke in the 2004 Mistletoe Shalee. That was the LAST time she lost a race--ever.
---Sixteen straight wins for thoroughbred Cigar, who wound up a couple of bucks shy of $10 million in his career, still the dollar record for either a harness or thoroughbred.
---Sixteen is the number of Meadowlands titles for John Campbell, and the number of national earning titles for the Hall of Famer.
---Sixteen is the number of years it has been since there was a dead heat for win in the Hambletonian--1989.
---Sixteen was the age of the youngest driver to win a Meadowlands race--Susan Looney in 1984 behind a horse named One For All.

The Heat is on!
On May 19, 1957, at Buffalo Raceway, nearly 48 years ago, the following occured in consecutive races....in Race Six there was a dead heat for win between Maynard Hanover (Levi Harner) and Meadow Royal (John Schroeder) in the Free For All. The time was 2:04.4. In the following race, Race Seven, the first ever Triple Dead Heat for win in the history of New York harness racing came to fruition. Those horses were: #1 Adios Queen (Jimmy Arthur), #2 Clever Counsel (Buddy Gilmour) and #4 Crescendo (Bob Shuttleworth). The race was an "A" pacing event and the time was 2:06.4.

Etcetera
Ron Pierce has made $49 million since 1999, and $46 million in the 24 years prior to that. Who is the only horse to win the division title each year from ages two to six--all five years? It was Peace Corps, from 1988-1992. Village Jolt will attempt in this year's New Jersey CLassic to become just the fifth divisional champion to win the richest of all the state-bred tests. He will go for the $500,000 pie and try to add his name alongside Bettors Delight-2001, Presidential Ball-1993, Western Hanover-1992 & Jate Lobell-1987.

What is the richest race ever for a driver-to win---where he had never previously driven the horse? Trotter and Pacer? For Pacers, it's Bill O'Donnell and Nihilator, who was a perfect 8-8 for Billy Haughton in 1984. For trotters, it was Jack Moiseyev and Giant Victory in the 1991 $1.2+million Hambletonian. Jack didn't find out about the drive until three days before, but wound up winning with the Per Eriksson trainee just three weeks after capturing the Meadowlands Pace with Precious Bunny.