Okay, is there really any doubt who is the best 3-year-old pacer in North America this year?
I didn't think so. If someone votes against Beach, he ought to have his head examined. But I seem to recall that someone even voted against Niatross after his 1980 season in which he lowered the world mark by almost three seconds.
So this category is a no brainer. Beach it is.
Let's make things a bit more interesting and tell me what horses you think are the best five pacers of all time. They need not be in any particular order.
I realize that isn't easy if you only know horses like Niatross and Cam Fella from the history books or legends about them. My personal experience extends back to seeing Bret Hanover win the Jug and set the world record, so I have a longer perspective.
Since I'm asking you to name your five best, I'll do the same. For me it would be Albatross, Bret Hanover, Niatross, Nihilator, and Somebeachsomewhere. (I admit it's hard to leave some horess, like Cam Fella, off this list.)
They're listing alphabetically, not in order of ranking. I would list Niatross as #1.
There are not right or wrong answers to this question. Only opinions. And you're certainly entitled to your opinions. Feel free to back 'em up with your reasons.
We all are probably influenced by horses and performances that we saw. Yeah, I know that Adios Butler, Good Time, Adios Harry,Billy Direct, Little Pat, Single G, and Dan Patch others were top horses, but they were before my time.
So choose the five best in your opinion and tell us why.
Tough question to pose, but
Tough question to pose, but ...
In my eyes, "Beach" is still undefeated. You have to admit, that was one heck of a trip he went in the Meadowlands Pace. Arguably the toughest defeat of all time when you consider his career as a whole.
His Lexington mile(s) gave us all goosebumps.
He gets my "All Time" vote.
So, here is my list ...
Somebeachsomewhere.
Niatross, another horse that i can say I made a point of watching "every" start.
Cam Fella, don't really need to say anything here.
Albatross, I was just a kid when he was doing it all for Dancer, but he did it all.
And Nihilator, speed and toughness come to mind.
Great, Great horses, everyone.
Its really hard to narrow it down to just five, I mean how do you leave horses like Holborn, the Gladiator, Boulder Creek and a couple dozen others out? (there are some great pacers out there that did it year after year after year, not just two or three years.)
The Greatest thing for standardbred racing would be to see "The Beach" race another year ... or two ... :)
Fan Hanover? Abercrombie? Romeo Hanover? Steady Star? Greyhound? Dan Patch? etc.
The top one hundred would be an interesting list to see ... Dean ?
My list Cam
My list
Cam fella
Niatross
Bret Hanover
Beach
Most Happy Fella
Cam vs Its Fritz one of the greatest races for heart
I have ever seen
This is a tough process when
This is a tough process when you are forced to think about it. I wish some would have extended their career. It would have made the task of ranking the top 5 much easier
1. Somebeachsomewhere
(Purely based on the only race he lost. I've never seen a horse go a tougher mile)
2. Dan Patch
(Everything I have read about DP supports he should be on this list)
3. Cam Fella
(Longevity)
4. Niatross
(He was way ahead of his time)
5. Bret Hanover
(He was the best in his time!)
I think it would be fun to rate the top five fillies/mares too!
# 1 Somebeachsome # 2
# 1 Somebeachsome
# 2 Niatross
# 3 Nihalator
# 4 Bret Hanover
# 5 Cam Fella
My top
My top five:
Niatross
Somebeachsomewhere
Bret Hanover
Cam Fella
Nihilator
In alphabetical order, my
In alphabetical order, my top five are:
Albatross
Bret Hanover
Countess Adios
Good Time
Niatross
Enough pacers!!!! Can we turn to trotters now?
Dean, Someone voted against
Dean,
Someone voted against Niatross?!? Just one person? I would love if you could look that up. That is amazing.
After SBSW set the WR, after Dewey had a loss, and was still second in the polling I was doing some reading and came across this in a year with Ted Williams and Joe D battling it out in baseball:
"In 1947, the Philadelphia Athletics finished fifth. Their shortstop, Eddie Joost, hit .206. Yes, Eddie Joost really did hit .206, and while other regulars have hit as low or lower, Joost has a special distinction. He hit .206, he hit 13 home runs, he had 64 RBIs, and he received TWO FIRST PLACE VOTES FOR MVP. Remember that the next time there is a discussion about who is the league's MVP or Cy Young Award winner. Only one of two conclusions can be drawn. Either those who vote for the MVP allow their own personal feelings interfere with their selections or they are simply incompetent. Both conclusions are probably true."
I guess I could see someone voting against Niatross, after reading this, but I would have to humbly submit that person must have had one of the two criteria that the writer alludes.
Oh to your question, my top 5 can not include anything before 1980 because I never saw any of them:
Niatross
Beach
Nihilator
Art Major
Rock n Roll Hanover
Best luck with the blog!
Niatross! Bret
Niatross!
Bret Hanover
Nihilator
Albatross
Somebeachsomewhere
No Dean It isnt hard to leave Cam Fella off this list...He was the best 3 yr old in 1982, but it was his 4 yr old year that put him down as one of the best ever...Had he retired after his 3 yr old year, he might still be know as one of the best sires ever, but you would be hearing much at all about his career on the track.
I agree that Niatross is
I agree that Niatross is number one. After that Adois, Bret Hanover, Most Happy Fella and Single G.
I might be prejoucied, got to present Niatross a cooler. Signed his book at Goshen after he passed away.