Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait. They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, or spider, occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia and New Zealand, races with jockeys riding directly on saddled trotters are also conducted.
The Standardbred is an American horse breed best known for its ability in harness racing, where members of the breed compete at either a trot or pace. Developed in North America, the Standardbred is recognized worldwide, and the breed can trace its bloodlines to 18th-century England. They are solid, well-built horses with good dispositions. In addition to harness racing, the Standardbred is used for a variety of equestrian activities, including horse shows and pleasure riding, particularly in the Midwestern and Eastern United States and in Southern Ontario.
Triple Crown is a combination of three major races in harness racing. The term Triple Crown is mostly used in the US, but also in France. The term is also used in thoroughbred racing.
The Hambletonian Stakes is a major American harness race, named in honor of Hambletonian 10, a foundation sire of the Standardbred horse breed, also known as the "Father of the American Trotter." The Hambletonian is held annually for three-year-old trotting Standardbreds. It is the first event in the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters. The Hambletonian is run at Meadowlands Racetrack on the first Saturday in August.
The Yonkers Trot is a harness racing event for three-year-old Standardbred trotters raced at a distance of one mile at Yonkers Raceway in Yonkers, New York. The race was created in 1955 to join the Hambletonian and the Kentucky Futurity to form the new United States Trotting Triple Crown.
The Kentucky Futurity is a stakes race for three-year-old trotters, held annually at The Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky since 1893. It is part of the Triple Crown of Harness Racing for Trotters.
Mack Lobell (1984–2016) was a brown racing trotter by Mystic Park out of Matina Hanover by Speedy Count.
Freehold Raceway is a half-mile racetrack in Freehold Borough, New Jersey, and is the oldest racetrack in the United States. Horseraces have been taking place at Freehold Raceway since the 1830s. The Monmouth County Agricultural Society was formed on December 17, 1853, and in 1854 they began holding an annual fair with harness racing at Freehold Raceway
Varenne is a dark bay racing trotter by Waikiki Beach out of Ialmaz by Zebu.
Stanley Franklin Dancer was an American harness racing driver and trainer. He was the only horseman to drive and train three Triple Crowns in horse racing. In total, he drove 23 Triple Crown winners. He was the first trainer to campaign a horse to $1 million in a career, Cardigan Bay in 1968, and drove the Harness Horse of the Year seven times. During his career, he won over $28 million and 3,781 races and was called by the United States Trotting Association "perhaps the best-known personality in the sport".
The Red Mile is a horse racing track located in Lexington, Kentucky, United States. The track hosts harness racing, a type of horse racing in which the horses must pull two-wheeled carts called sulkies while racing. It is one of harness racing's most famous tracks and is located in the heart of the Bluegrass region, an area of Kentucky famous for horse breeding and racing.
Harness racing, also colloquially known as trotting or the trots, is a spectator sport in Australia, with significant amounts of money wagered annually with bookmakers and the Totalisator Agency Board (TAB). In Australia there are 90 harness racing tracks, which hold over 1,900 meetings annually. There are approximately 2,900 drivers and 4,000 trainers with about 5,000 Standardbred horses foaled and registered each year.
Glidemaster is a Standardbred trotter who was named the 2006 United States Harness Horse of the Year by the U.S. Trotting Association. He is a 2003 brown stallion by Yankee Glide out of Cressida Hanover by Mr Lavec.
Hanover Shoe Farms, Inc. is a North American Standardbred horse breeding facilities. Its history traces back to the early 1900s.
Nevele Pride was an American standardbred harness racehorse who set world records as fastest trotter on multiple occasions. Owned by Stanley Dancer, Nevele Pride won 57 races and was honored as Harness Horse of the Year in three consecutive years. The horse earned more than $870,000 during his racing career.
Catello R. Manzi is an American harness racing driver and trainer. Manzi's nickname is 'Catman'.
Scott Frost (1952-1983) was a United States Harness Racing Hall of Fame Standardbred trotter trained and driven by future Hall of Fame inductee Joe O'Brien. His performances on the racetrack in 1954 saw him voted United States Two-Year-Old Trotter of the Year and in 1955 he became the first winner of the U.S. Trotting Triple Crown series and was voted U.S. Harness Horse of the Year. Racing at age four in 1956, Scott Frost became the first horse to twice win Harness Horse of the Year honors.
Green Speed was a Standardbred trotter owned by Mrs. Beverly Loyds and who was trained by Billy Haughton. Although not eligible for the Kentucky Futurity, the colt's racing success included wins in the other two legs of the 1977 U.S. Trotting Triple Crown, the Hambletonian Stakes and the Yonkers Trot. In that three-year-old campaign Green Speed finished the season holding thirteen world records including a record time of 1:55 3/5 which made him the then fastest three-year-old trotter in history. As a result, Green Speed was voted the 1977 American Harness Horse of the Year.
The American Trotting Classic at Hollywood Park Racetrack in Inglewood, California is a defunct three-race series in harness racing for Standardbred trotters aged three and older. It was run annually between 1955 and 1981 at three different racetracks with the final hosted by Hollywood Park Racetrack. During the same period, these tracks also offered the corresponding American Pacing Classic.
Joseph Cyril O'Brien was a Harness racing driver, trainer and owner who won the U.S. Trotting Triple Crown in 1955 and would be inducted into both the U.S. Harness Racing Hall of Fame and the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame, as well as Canada's Sports Hall of Fame. Noted for his quiet dignity and diplomacy, he is considered one of the greatest harness horsemen in history.
