Odds On Racing - Harness Racing

Florican as a top trotter in his day, earning $152,222 and taking a record of 1:57.2. during the early 1950s, quite an accomplishment at the time. But it was in the breeding shed where Florican excelled.

According to breeding expert Carter Duer, who manages his Peninsula Farm in Georgetown, Kentucky, Florican's foals had no pattern.

"Florican sired all types of horses," Duer recalled. "They didn't run to any certain type or pattern. You could have a big chestnut like Florils and handsome black horses like Spectator, who showed more of the Worthy Boy influence from his dam."

Duer cited two Floricans foaled in 1970 as a prime example.

"These two fillies were almost complete opposites," Duer noted. "Honeysuckle Rose and Florinda were like 'beauty and the beast' if you compared them. Florinda was a long filly with a big head and Honeysuckle Roes was a beautiful little mare."

Both mares were good racehorses. Florinda finished second and fifth behind Flirth, another son of Florican, in the 1973 Hambletonian, while Honeysuckle Rose earned almost $200,000 that season.

"The Floricans were notorious for hating veterinarians," Duer said. "They grew up knowing the vets when they walked into the barn and of course, Florician himself was a very peculiar horse if you were trying to treat him in some way. You had to fight him every step of the way: he was very tough."