With the 2023 harness racing season complete, Trot Insider takes a look at some of the top ranked Standardbreds in Canada for wins, earnings and records.
Shark Week was the winningest Standardbred in Canada in 2023 with 20 victories. Campaigned by Strathmore, Alta. trainer Rod Hennessy and co-owner Lorne Duffield of Edmonton, Alta., the Vertical Horizon-Shark Gone Bad gelding accumulated his wins through 24 starts while competing against the best pacers in Alberta. Among his highlights, Shark Week paced the fastest mile in Western Canadian harness racing history when winning in 1:49.2 on June 3 at Century Downs. Driven in all of his races by Hennessy's son Mike, Shark Week closed out his five-year-old season with a 15-race win streak. His 20 wins ranked second best in North America (one behind U.S.-based pacer Dunkin).
The Light Speed ranked second for Canadian wins in 2023 with 17. The leading pacing mares were Shes Rockandfame and Arizona, who tied with I Ama Rocket for third most wins in Canada with 15 each. Big Bad Jenn and Ontheroadtotexas both earned 14 wins. Rounding out the top win leaders in Canada with 13 wins each were Chocolate Terror, Rose Run Quest, Virtual Horizon, Timewaitsonnoone, So Much More, Bud Neigh Kid, Came A Cavalier, Jessiejesorjessica and Rye N Clyne. The aforementioned Jessiejesorjessica was the winningest trotter of the year.
Two-year-old trotting colt T C I led all horses for earnings in the nation as he amassed $825,000 through a perfect three-for-three Canadian campaign that included victories in the William Wellwood Memorial Stakes and Mohawk Million. The son of Cantab Hall-Nicoles Promise earned an additional $628,370 going seven-for-nine stateside for trainer Ron Burke and owners Burke Racing Stable, Hatfield Stables, Knox Services Inc., and Weaver Bruscemi.
Metro Pace champion Captains Quarters ($525,904) and North America Cup winner Its My Show ($525,000) rounded out the top three money earners. Others topping the half-million mark were two-year-old trotting filly Willys Home Run ($523,935), two-year-old pacing fillies Pass Line ($512,152) and Its A Love Thing ($509,006) while Tattoo Artist ($413,000), One Last Wish ($410,066), Stockade Seelster ($408,138) and Moment Is Here ($393,299) completed the top 10 list.
The Canadian season's record for 2023 was set by six-year-old pacer Warrawee Vital, who equalled the all-time track and Canadian record of 1:46.4 in a Preferred event on June 17 at Woodbine Mohawk Park. The speedy son of Captaintreacherous-Great Memories was campaigned by trainer Kyle Fellows for owners Blair Corbeil of Leduc, Alta., Yolanda Fellows of Rockwood, Ont. and M&S Racing Stable Inc. of Rockwood, Ont.
The three-year-old Shadow Play-Winbak Speedi gelding Winmebak paced the fastest mile of the season on a five-eighths track, winning an Ontario Sires Stakes Grassroots division in 1:50.2 on Aug. 13 at Rideau Carleton Raceway for trainer Nick Gallucci and Millar Farms of Stouffville, Ont. The time of the mile equalled a divisional track record.
Two horses share the 1:50.1 national season's record for a half-mile track. Former Horse of the Year Desperate Man set the mark in a Preferred 2 event on Aug. 28 to establish an all-age track record at Grand River Raceway. The five-year-old Shadow Play-Dreamlands Latte gelding was campaigned by trainer Kathy Cecchin and co-owners John Cecchin, Nicole and Paul Davies, all from Arthur, Ont. The Jason Hughes-trained six-year-old Bee Two Bee (Sunshine Beach-Bee Fullof Steinam) equalled that winning time and tied the Charlottetown Driving Park all-age track record winning the Richard Campbell Memorial on Sept. 9. He is owned by Donald MacRae of Vernon Bridge, P.E.I. and Blair MacLauchlan of Charlottetown, P.E.I.
Maple Leaf Trot champion Alrajah One IT's 1:50.2 victory on Sept. 2 at Woodbine Mohawk Park was the fastest trotting mile of the year and equalled the all-age track and Canadian record for trotters. Ake Svanstedt trained the eight-year-old son of Maharajah-Mariu for Scuderia My Horse Inc.
Fashion Frenzie, a five-year-old trained by Richard Moreau, set the trotting season's record for a five-eighths track for the second year in a row in the Earl Rowe Memorial Invitational courtesy of his 1:53 victory on Aug. 20 at Georgian Downs. The Archangel-Striking Fashion gelding competes for Becancour, Que. owners Ecurie Francis Richard Inc., Pierre Guillemette and Sylvain Richard as well as Mario Bourgea of Stanbridge East, Que.
The fastest trotting winner on a half-mile track in 2023 was the five-year-old Dealin With Dewey when he posted a 1:54.3 mile at Grand River Raceway for a divisional track record in a Preferred 2 on Aug. 28. The Wheeling N Dealin-Rockin With Dewey gelding is trained and owned by Sara Baillargeon of Guelph, Ont.
(All statistics include Canadian starts from Jan. 1, 2023 to Dec. 31, 2023.)
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(Standardbred Canada; Photos clockwise from top left: Shark Week [Caitlin Fancy/Coady Photo], T C I [New Image Media], Warrawee Vital [New Image Media], Alrajah One IT [New Image Media])