The Living Horse Hall of Fame nominating committee of the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame has announced the results of recent balloting to determine the 2016 inductees into the Harness Racing Living Horse Hall of Fame.

Annual members (in good standing) voted for the two horses they felt best exemplified greatness. Their choices are racehorses Muscle Hill and Real Desire. The other nominees were Credit Winner, Mr Muscleman and Yankee Glide.

Broodmare ARLs Troublemaker will also be inducted into the Hall of Fame, having met the qualifications for broodmares.

Muscle Hill, Real Desire and ARLs Troublemaker will be inducted on Hall of Fame Day, Sunday, July 3. The ceremonies honouring these extraordinary Standardbred horses will take place during the Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame’s annual dinner. For information on the Hall of Fame weekend and other festivities surrounding this important occasion, visit harnessmuseum.com from April 2016 onward or call or write the Museum at 240 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924. Phone: 845-294-6330.

Standardbreds are eligible for nomination to harness racing’s highest accolade only if they comply with the following strict criteria:

They must be retired from racing for five years and had a drug-free career. In addition, racehorses must have won 75 per cent of their lifetime starts, or gone undefeated in a single season campaign of 12 or more races, or been the winner of $3 million lifetime or named Harness Horse of the Year (US and/or Canada).

Stallions must rank among the 10 all-time leading money-winning sires at their gait or have sired at least 100 $200,000 winners or been a leading money-winning sire at his gait in three or more seasons.

Broodmares are automatically elected if they have produced a $1 million winner and two other winners of $500,000 OR produced a Harness Horse of the Year (US and/or Canada) and another $500,000 winner.

THE 2016 LIVING HORSE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

MUSCLE HILL

(Nominated as Racehorse)

2,1:53.3; 3,1:50.1 ($3,273,342) Bay Horse, 2006

(Muscles Yankee – Yankee Blondie – American Winner)

World champion trotter Muscle Hill raced in 2008-2009 and owns a lifetime record of 21-20-1-0. He continues to rank as the leading single-season money-winning Standardbred ($2,456,041) of all time.

Muscle Hill finished second in his freshman debut, a New Jersey Sire Stakes event, but never lost another race. Major two-year-old wins included the Peter Haughton Memorial, Bluegrass, International Stallion Stakes and the Breeders Crown, where he set a world record 1:53.3 for two-year-old trotting colts on a mile track. Muscle Hill finished the season with earnings of $817,301 and was voted 2008 Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year.

Muscle Hill was undefeated in twelve starts as a three-year-old in 2009. Major victories included the Hambletonian, Canadian Trotting Classic, Breeders Crown, World Trotting Derby, Kentucky Futurity and American-National. His world record-equalling Hambletonian (1:50.1) is still the fastest ever. Muscle Hill’s efforts earned him the titles of 2009 Dan Patch and O’Brien Horse of the Year, Dan Patch Trotter of the Year, and 2009 Dan Patch and O’Brien Three-Year-Old Trotting Colt of the Year. Muscle Hill was the first trotter to win Horse of the Year after an unbeaten season.

With three crops racing, Muscle Hill has sired the winners of over $14 million, including 2014 Hambletonian winner Trixton 3,1:50.3 ($947,057) and Breeders Crown and Hambletonian elimination winner, world champion Mission Brief 2,1:50.3 ($1,426,687).

REAL DESIRE

(Nominated as Racehorse)

p,4,1:48.2 ($3,159,814) Bay Horse, 1998

(Life Sign – Deadly Desire - Troublemaker)

In three racing seasons (2000-2002), pacer Real Desire amassed over $3 million, clocked nine sub-1:50 victories and was honoured with Horse of the Year awards in both the United States and Canada. At the time of his retirement, Real Desire was ranked third among the leading money-winning pacers of all time and is currently ranked thirteenth. He recorded 25 wins out of 40 starts, finishing off the board only twice in his career.

As a two-year-old in 2000, Real Desire was victorious in eight of his ten starts, including a division of the Champlain Stakes, the Nassagaweya Stake and the Kentucky Sire Stakes final, where he set a 1:50.4 world record mile for two-year-old pacers.

During his 2001 sophomore season Real Desire continued to show brilliance with wins in the Meadowlands Pace, the Hoosier Cup, a division of the Bluegrass and the Breeders Crown final. He closed the season with a 17-7-7-2 record and earnings of $1,646,036 that have kept him among the top twenty single-season moneywinning pacers of all time.

Real Desire’s 2002 four-year-old season included wins at his second Breeders Crown final, the Canadian Pacing Derby and the U.S. Pacing Championship. He finished the season with a 13-10-1-1 record and $1,059,790 in earnings, and was elected 2002 Horse of the Year and Pacing Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and Canada.

In 2008, Real Desire was inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame. As a stallion, Real Desire has total North American foal earnings of over $52 million, with 305 in 1:55 and 151 $100,000 winners. He is the sire of 2015 Dan Patch Pacing Horse, Canadian Pacing Derby and U.S. Pacing Championship winner State Treasurer p,6,1:47 ($1,804,358) and 2007 Little Brown Jug and North America Cup winner Tell All p,3,1:48.3 ($1,509,227). Real Desire is the broodmare sire of 2013 Dan Patch Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year and 2014 Meadowlands Pace winner, world champion Hes Watching p,3,1:46.4 ($1,116,450).

ARLs TROUBLEMAKER

(Broodmare)

p,4,1:53.2 ($143,945) Bay Mare, 1992

Troublemaker – Kawartha Quality – Southampton V

Broodmare ARLs Troublemaker was foaled on January 27, 1992 in Cream Ridge, New Jersey. Bred by Bernard Foti, ARLs Troublemaker raced from 1994 to 1998, earning $143,945. The progeny that qualified ARLs Troublemaker for the Hall of Fame are Art Maker p,1:49.1 ($1,036,217), Stock Market Wiz p,1:49.3 ($739,283) and Breakin The Law p,1:49.4 ($504,932). To date, ARLs Troublemaker has produced seven fillies and six colts, with eleven starters and earnings of $2,630,432.

(Please note that the statistics in this story are USTA statistics)

(Living Horse Hall of Fame)