Tag: Standardbreds

Once upon a time, for a trotter to become the Hambletonian champion, it had to win two races in one day. In those days, there were two eliminations and, in the final, if one of those elimination …

Despite its skeptics and general negativity, there is often good news taking place in the world of harness racing and that came to light recently when Plainridge Park announced that the Spirit of Massachusetts Trot …

Buffalo Raceway will kick off its 66-day 2019 meet this Wednesday. This year, purses are slightly higher, with open events beginning the year at $12K — up from $10,500 at the end of 2018. In …

Gamble (gambling):  to take risky action in hopes of a desired result.  Over the years, our views on gambling have gone up and down like a rollercoaster at an amusement park.  Some openly trumpet it, …

Ten-year-old Keystone Velocity, the 2017 Levy Memorial winner is also the 2018 Levy winner.  And, despite the presence of eight excellent horses, he made things look easy, winning in 1:52 over the half-mile oval at …

The Meadowlands remains the harness racing’s leader in handle.  No track handles more money than the Big M.  We all know why — the one-mile oval and, for the most part, solid and fair racing.  …

It is February, regarded as the worst sports month of the year. The Super Bowl has been played and, this year, there is a diversion with the Olympics, but that only happens every four years. …

When you think of harness racing, Hawthorne Racecourse doesn’t roll off the tongue. In fact, when I think of Hawthorne, I think Illinois Derby, the 1 1/8 mile thoroughbred race in late April that often …

Buffalo Raceway is back and ready to go. Last July, a freak tornado hit the Hamburg, New York area and the racetrack and, in particular, the press box, suffered serious damage, enough to cancel the …

If you were able to catch the Messenger Stakes elimination race last Saturday, you saw two races. One was Downbytheseaside racing the clock, the other was for second place and the accompanying $10,000 check that …

Consider this the second big stakes night of probably 30 we’ll encounter over the course of this harness racing season. Sun Stakes Saturday gathers the best of each division to see which horse I fastest …

Elimination races are fun to watch, kind of like watching a Little League baseball game. Betting on them, however, is like being the dad watching his kid play in a Little League game, shouting from …

Mohawk Racetrack has a jam-packed stakes program prepared for Saturday, June 17, highlighted by the $1 million North America Cup. There are other races on the card, too, but it’s the North America Cup! Do …

It’s finally that time of year. Summer stakes season has arrived in harness racing just as summer will in the coming weeks. It’s both North America Cup time and, more importantly, shaming-our-colleagues-for-referring-to-it-as-the-North-American-Cup time. Alongside the …

Time has already pushed us into June, which is when harness racing stakes heat faster than the ozone layer. All the buzz within the harness racing industry currently revolves around the first million-dollar — though …