Other Racing: Quarters, Harness, Jumps

[BaroqueAgain1]

Is it possible that Shiskin is doing a Chautauqua...and has decided that racing is no longer what he wants to do?

[Le Beau Bai]

Is it possible that Shiskin is doing a Chautauqua...and has decided that racing is no longer what he wants to do?

Possibly, the trainer is looking at finding another race for him as that was supposed to be his prep run for the King George at Kempton! Other possible factors could be that he was wearing sheepskin cheek pieces (French blinkers) for the first time and that the start was heading away from the enclosures.

Either way, he definitely wasn’t for moving! I guess we won’t know until he’s back on a racecourse. I think I read he went out on the horse box today for a racecourse gallop. Nicky Henderson is a trainer I massively respect, so he will do right by the horse even if bettors and public criticise him.

[Flanders]

G2W jumper Snow Leopardess (by Martaline) galloping alongside her daughter Red Panda (by Sir Percy).

She had a baby and was successfully put back into training.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CjSPq-mI ... JmNzVkMjY=

Red Panda is entered for her first start on Monday.

https://www.racingpost.com/bloodstock/n ... Xg4u9ErIx/

[Miss Woodford]

Foiled Again's little half-sister named Oh Honey is up for auction next week.

This is what Foiled Again's record in a catalog page looks like:

[brunanas]

Miss Woodford, what do things such as "p, 2,2:00, 3h", "BT", "Q1", etc. mean?

[Willowood]

Miss Woodford, what do things such as "p, 2,2:00, 3h", "BT", "Q1", etc. mean?

P-pacer
2,2:00 - at age 2 she paced her best time in 2 minutes
The rest I’m not sure

[Miss Woodford]

Miss Woodford, what do things such as "p, 2,2:00, 3h", "BT", "Q1", etc. mean?

p = pacer (trotters came first in the history of the breed so they're the "default"
2, 2:00.3h at 2 years old her best winning mile time was 2:00.3, "h" indicates it was on half-mile track. a five-eighths mile track would be "f", seven-eighths is "s".
3, 1:54.4 at 3 years old her best winning time was 1:54.4, on a mile track (mile tracks either do not get a letter or get "m")
if she had a faster record after her 3yo season it would be recorded after that, for example Foiled Again's 1:48 which he paced at age 9.
BT = beaten time (best time in a race that she lost, generally only shown if it is significantly faster than the best winning time)
"Q" is a time taken during a qualifier, which is sort of a trial race that shows up on past performances but isn't part of their official win/loss record. Standardbreds that haven't raced in X number of days have to qualify in a certain standard time (hence the breed name) before they race again.
This is the longform way of writing the record, for something like a for-sale ad they would just list the fastest time and earnings next to her name.
It's not shown in that screenshot but you may see (M) by the names of some progeny listed in a catalog pedigree, that just means it's a mare
Also in older pedigrees there may be a capital "T" by a time which means it was recorded in a time trial

[brunanas]

thank you both! gee those are a lot of codes

[Miss Woodford]

'Tis the season for Standardbred retirement ceremonies! Saratoga Harness held theirs yesterday, honoring the 14yo warhorses Duluth, Warrawee Nonsuch, Darron Hall, Mavericks Luck and No Recess. Happy trails to them all.
https://ustrottingnews.com/retirees-hon ... -saratoga/

[Miss Woodford]

Thursday was Monticello's Au Revoir Pace for their retiring 14yos. The winner Rozewood was making his 459th career start and 42nd career win. His breeder/owner/trainer Tiffany Barrett has had him the whole time and he'll continue to live at her farm.
https://ustrottingnews.com/veteran-pace ... onticello/ This nice article tells more about him and the other golden oldies in that race, and where they'll go after retirement.

[Mylute]

Hurdler Andi'Amu has been retired to Kentucky Horse Park.

[Miss Woodford]

Hurdler Andi'Amu has been retired to Kentucky Horse Park.

He started out as a hurdler but his biggest accomplishments (Virginia Gold Cup x2, Middleburg Hunt Cup x2, International Gold Cup, etc) came over timber.

I appreciate that the KHP recognizes NSA championships. The Eclipse committee refuses to acknowledge that timber racing exists so the NSA Timber HOY is the highest recognition they get.

[Miss Woodford]

Sweet story about a pair of gray-haired elder gentlemen who won the amateur drivers' race at Cumberland this past Saturday. Only in harness racing...
https://ustrottingnews.com/bob-nadeau-8 ... ams-storm/

Putnams Storm, with Bob Nadeau in tow, ended his parimutuel racing career with a big victory on Friday at Cumberland. He'll still be eligible next year for amateur and fair events though so he may not be quite done yet. His heart is certainly still in it.
https://ustrottingnews.com/gray-elder-s ... umberland/
On Saturday he and 16 other 14yos from across New England and Maritime Canada will parade at the annual Au Revoir Retirement Showcase, which has become the biggest event of its kind. The highlight race is of course the Auld Lang Syne, a race restricted to 14yos.

[Le Beau Bai]

Shiskin is declared for the King George in Boxing Day without the sheepskin cheekpieces!

[Miss Woodford]

A nice story about some of the retiring 14- and 15-year old Standardbreds
https://www.drf.com/news/harness-honori ... d-warriors
And a recap of the Au Revoir Showcase. I'll be on the lookout for the photo album https://ustrottingnews.com/ira-chief-co ... lang-syne/

[brunanas]

Trainer Keri Brion Offers Steeplechase Insights For Eclipse Award Voters
https://paulickreport.com/news/ray-s-pa ... rd-voters/

[Mylute]

Hewick won the King George VI Chase (G1) at 550-1.
https://www.racingpost.com/news/reports ... fI9l8ZbDv/

[Miss Woodford]

That's a 550-1 in-the-running price (yes, in the UK bookmakers offer bets on horses during the race), he was 12/1 otherwise. Incredible run by Hewick none the less and sets him up well for another shot at the Gold Cup.

All the retirement ceremonies for the Au Revoir Showcase have been posted on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/barbara.dresser Love hearing their biographies and seeing their proud owners and caretakers. My favorite is Neverdie coming straight from of a race and being ridden out, classic Standardbred.

[Le Beau Bai]

Could someone point me in the direction of good websites or books to learn about harness racing please?

I’ve started watching it more these days, thank you track livestreams, so I’d like to build my knowledge around from a fan perspective. Things like equipment, bloodlines and training practices.

I wish we had harness racing in the UK, there are some meetings but they are very far from me and it’s not at a professional level as such.

[Miss Woodford]

Could someone point me in the direction of good websites or books to learn about harness racing please?

I’ve started watching it more these days, thank you track livestreams, so I’d like to build my knowledge around from a fan perspective. Things like equipment, bloodlines and training practices.

I wish we had harness racing in the UK, there are some meetings but they are very far from me and it’s not at a professional level as such.

The USTA fan guide is a good place to start http://fanguide.ustrotting.com/
Pennsylvania's racing association has a very good page also https://pennhorseracing.com/learn-basic ... formation/

You'd be surprised at the level of harness racing in the UK and Ireland. The Vincent Delaney Memorial is a fairly big deal - it's being held at Wolverhampton this year https://vincentdelaneymemorial.com/ UK drivers come over for international amateur competitions. There have been a number of British-bred (suffix "GB" to their name) and Irish-bred (suffix "IR" to their name) Standardbreds imported to the US that have won races. Interestingly, the UK and Ireland seem to have more pinto/skewbald STBs, who are always popular when they show up on these shores.