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 2013 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 racehorse Bettors Delight and stallion Life Sign.
The other nominees were Fools Goal, Precious Bunny and Real Desire.
Also entering the Living Horse Hall of Fame in 2013 will be broodmare Lady Ashlee Ann, having met the required criteria for induction.
Bettors Delight, Life Sign and Lady Ashlee Ann will be inducted on Hall of Fame Day, Sunday, July 7, 2013. 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 www.harnessmuseum.com from April 2013 onward or call or write the Museum at 845-294-6330 or 240 Main Street, Goshen, NY 10924.
Standardbreds are only eligible for nomination to harness racing’s highest accolade 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 (U.S. 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 (U.S. and/or Canada) and another $500,000 winner.
2013 LIVING HORSE HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES
BETTORS DELIGHT
(Nominated as Racehorse)
p,3,1:49.4 ($2,581,461) Bay Horse, 1998
(Cams Card Shark – Classic Wish – Armbro Emerson)
2001 Little Brown Jug winner and 2007 Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Bettors Delight was foaled on May 4, 1998. At the time of his retirement, he was the ninth-leading single-season money winning standardbred of all time, and continues to rank in the top 20 of that category. He owns a lifetime record of 26-15-6-1.
Bettors Delight's major victories as a two-year-old in 2000 included the Nassagaweya Stake, Breeders Crown (setting a Mohawk track record 1:51.3 in the elimination) and Governors Cup. He finished his rookie season with a four-win streak, a record of 10-6-1-1 and $804,661 in earnings, garnering both the Dan Patch (U.S.) Two-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year and O'Brien (Canada) Two-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year awards.
Bettors Delight blossomed as a three-year-old in 2001, finishing on the board in 14 of 16 starts, with nine victories and total earnings of $1,776,800. His impressive campaign included victories in the New Jersey Classic (equalling the stakes record) and North America Cup (with the event's largest margin of victory at the time). A serious foot injury in August threatened to end the racing career of Bettors Delight. However, after a three-week layoff he returned to win the Simcoe Stakes, Little Brown Jug (in straight heats) and Tattersalls Pace. Bettors Delight captured two O'Brien Awards, for Three-Year-Old Colt Pacer of the Year and Horse of the Year, along with the Dan Patch Award for Three-Year-Old Pacing Colt of the Year and the New Jersey Standardbred of the Year award.
Bettors Delight is now a shuttle stallion with total North American foal earnings of over $88 million, 344 in 1:55 and 217 $100,000 winners. Among his eight millionaires are Darlins Delight p,4,1:49.1 ($2,901,926), two-time Breeders Crown winner Bettor Sweet p,4,1:47.2 ($2,778,753) and Southwind Tempo p,6,1:48.2 ($2,396,362).
LIFE SIGN
(Nominated as Stallion)
p,3,1:50.3 ($1,912,454) Bay Horse, 1990
(Abercrombie – Three Diamonds – Albatross)
Pacer Life Sign, was foaled on April 30, 1990. He raced in 1992-1993 with a summary record of 35-18-10-5. Life Sign ranks among the top 10 money winning sires at his gait, with total North American foal earnings of over $110 million.
Two-year-old Life Sign posted impressive wins in the American-National, International Stallion Stake (taking his 1:52.4 freshman record) and Governor's Cup. He finished on the board in 11 of 13 starts with five wins and $557,543 in earnings, second among money winning two-year-old colt pacers of 1992.
As a three-year-old in 1993, Life Sign finished on the board in all of his 22 starts, with 13 victories and earnings of $1,354,911, second among pacers that year. Life Sign's sophomore campaign included victories in the Art Rooney Pace (stakes and track record), Breeders Crown, Little Brown Jug and Cleveland Classic. In his Jug victory, Life Sign set three standardbred world records for fastest first heat on a half-mile track (1:52, fastest mile in Jug history), second heat on a half-mile (1:52) and two-heat race on a half-mile (3:44).
As a stallion, Life Sign has sired 477 in 1:55, 327 $100,000 winners and 142 $200,000 winners. His seven millionaires include 2002 Horse of the Year Real Desire p,4,1:48.2 ($3,159,814), Meadowlands Pace winner Day In A Life p,5,1:49.4f ($1,863,602) and Peruvian Hanover p,4,1:49.4 ($1,852,434). Life Sign has sired the dams of more than 1,360 North American starters with earnings of over $82 million and five millionaires including Loyal Opposition p,4,1:48.4 ($2,640,934) and Breeders Crown winner Village Jolt p,3,1:50.4f ($1,634,220). Life Sign now stands in Australia.
LADY ASHLEE ANN
(Broodmare)
p,3,1:51.3 ($95,481) Bay Mare, 1993
(Camtastic – Preacher Edith – Adios Vic)
Sired by 1987 Pacer of the Year and two-time Breeders Crown champion Camtastic, pacer Lady Ashlee Ann was bred by A. J. Gross of Manhasset, New York and was foaled on June 14, 1993. Lady Ashlee Ann raced from 1995-1997 and compiled a record of 28-8-5-1 with earnings of $95,481. Her major career victories came in a division of the 1995 Debutante Stakes and the 1996 Tarport Hap.
The progeny that qualified Lady Ashlee Ann for the Hall of Fame are Breeders Crown, Ben Franklin, Cane Pace and American-National winner, world champion Betterthancheddar p,4,1:48f ($1,577,219) (sired by fellow 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Bettors Delight), Art Rooney Pace, Classic Series final and Tattersalls Pace winner Ashlees Big Guy p,6,1:50.4f ($978,168) (sired by fellow 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Life Sign) and Artists View p,5,1:49.4 ($788,811), sired by Hall of Fame Immortal Artsplace.
To date, Lady Ashlee Ann has produced four fillies and nine colts, with 11 racing and earnings of $3,806,878. She is currently performing her broodmare duties for her owners at Winbak Farm in Chesapeake City, Maryland.
*USTA statistics as of January, 2013
(Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame)