Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

As a horseman, a great satisfaction comes from beginning a breeding program with one's broodmare, arranging the stud service and then raising a foal and following it's career to the winner's circle. The bloodlines of both the broodmare and sire and their characteristics are both carefully scrutinized by the breeder, in hopes of producing the finest foal. The old adage of "breed the best to the best" still stands true today.

Broodmares usually comes into season every 14 to 24 days, with 21 days being the average, beginning in February and continuing through the summer months. Usually, a mare will remain in heat for two to three days. The mare will typically have a more relaxed stance and will urinate frequently, producing a discolored and odorous urine, and showing signs of general excitement in the presence of a stallion.

Most breeders prefer to have foals that are born between mid to late January and early May. The average gestation period is 337 days, and so breeders often carefully plan and calculate their breeding schedule accordingly. Spring foals will have the advantage of good weather and thick, green grass, while foals born in harsh winter conditions will require housing and additional care. Whatever the case, all foals are considered to be one year old on January 1 of the following year of their birth.

Service fees for the stallions depend upon the reputation of the stallion, his performance on the racetrack, and his record in the breeding shed. Often a mare is shipped to a stallion for breeding and then returned to her home farm. Sometimes a mare is shipped to a farm for stud service and remains at that farm until her foal is weaned. Nowadays, in some areas, shipped or frozen semen services are available.

After being bred, a mare may be raced in her normal manner up to two months before foaling. While this is not typical of most broodmares, it does happen in rare instances. There have also been cases where mares were racing and it was not known that they were pregnant. Imagine a trainer's surprise when he or she comes to their barn in the morning only to discover two horses in a stall where the previous night there was only one!

At most large breeding farms, mares are bred using artificial insemination (AI). At the smaller farms mares are often still bred using live cover. Generally, when breeding to major stallions, AI is always used, as the horses invovled are worth too much money to risk getting kicked or hurt by an unruly mare, or vice versa.

The broodmare will indicate that her labor is approaching by becoming very restless in her stall, getting up and laying down, turning in circles and pawing. Usually, about ten days prior, she will begin "waxing," that is--showing signs of having a full milk bag. When labor is near, the bag becomes even more pronounced. A noticable depression appears on either side of her tail, and birth is usually forthcoming. The mare will begin sweating and will lie down, and often turn her head to look at her side. Birthing will come quickly when the foal is healthy, and the baby (in the best of circumstances) is expelled front feet first, with its head tucked neatly beside them.

Most broodmares are not fond of a big audience watching the birth, and will often retain a foal until a caretaker has gone for a late night cup of coffee. Many large-scale breeding farms have foal monitors and cameras in the stalls to allow for discreet viewing of the mares until the actually birthing.

When the baby is out on the ground and the cord broken, the foal is wiped clean with fresh towels and the soiled bedding removed from the stall. The mare usually gets on her feet pretty quickly after birth, and is extremely watchful of her baby. New mothers can become extremely protective of their foals and a normally dociile mare can suddenly be not so friendly in some instances. Even the gentlest of mares has been known to show viciousness during the first few days with her new foal, and this is especially typical of first-time mothers.

After the foal is cleaned and checked over, generally her or she is left alone with their mother. The foal will try to stand shortly after birthing and will wobble and often fall a few times, before struggling to stand and nurse. This is a natural regression of what a foal would encounter in the wild, when there is no protection from the elements or predators. In that situation, it is imperative for the life of the foal to get to its feet and become able to walk with the mother and herd in a matter of hours.

Within an hour or two after foaling, the broodmare will pass the afterbirth naturally. If this does not happen, a veterinarian will be called to ensure that the broodmare does not become infected or have problems expelling the afterbirth later.

The new suckling will be kept with its mother until weaning, usually around six to nine months of age, and this will be of great distress to both the mare and the foal, who will whinny and scream for one another for at least a day or so in most cases. Generally, the pair are kept separate for about a month, at which time the weanling will lose interest in the mare.

Terry Hunt, who owns and operates Cottonwood Farm in Big Rock, Illinois is a major breeding in the Prairie State, and he also owns a good portion of the horses that he breeds. Constant Change, a seven-year-old pacer with earnings of $498,764 was bred and reared by Terry at his breeding farm.

"We bred him in a partnership that owned four mares together, and his dam, Flashing By, was one of those mares," Terry recalled. "Even as a yearling, Constant Change was one of the most handsome horses we’ve ever produced. He’s the type of horse that knows he something special. He’s been a very, very solid performer who can pace on any size track."

"I remember when Constant Change was a two-year-old, and Tom (trainer Simmons) had trained him a half in :55. Of course we all thought that was exceptional, but Tom told us that the horse was just off slightly, and that he thought it was best to back off with the colt at that time. He was a pretty big colt, and obviously, that paid off for him."

"It can be tough having a good racehorse like this," Terry said. "It’s so much fun racing him, but when they’re this good, you’re always getting offers for him. We get a lot of calls from buyers wanting to have him to race out East. It's been a thrill for us to have bred this colt and then follow him through his career and into the winner's circle many times."

Oh, those Broodmares!
What pacing broodmares have two or more offspring with a sub-1:50 mark?
Only Rich N Elegant has three babies faster than 1:50: Rocknroll Hanover 1:49.4,
Royalflush Hanover 1:49.3 and Red River Hanover 1:48.4.

These broodmares have two sub-1:50 performers each: Lingerie is the dam of Nighttime Magic 1:49.1 and Make It Brief 1:49.1. Malaysia has produced Riyadh 1:48.4 and Spy Hard 1:49.4 NOTE: She was the first broodmare ever to have two full brothers (by Jate Lobell) to accomplish this feat.

Oxford Mary Ann is the dam of Cambest 1:46.1 & English Tutor 1:49.3. Start Dialing produced Art Dialing 1:48.2 & Rapid Dialing 1:49.1. Windsun Dee is the mom of Four Starzzz Shark 1:47.4--Fastest mile in North America in 2004 & Silver D Moon 1:49.2. Town Sweetheart dropped both Town Champion 1:49 & Northern Luck 1:49.1. Hula Dancer is the dam of both Artesian 1:49.2 & Maltese Artist 1:48.3.