Standardbred Canada has launched a campaign for sports writers to vote for harness racing phenom Somebeachsomewhere as the 2008 Lou Marsh Trophy recipient for Canada's athlete of the year.
Below is the open letter penned by Trot Magazine editor and Standardbred Canada's Manager of Industry Communications Darryl Kaplan to the country's sports journalists.
Not only is Somebeachsomewhere one of the greatest pacers to ever look through a bridle, his dominance transcends horse racing and places him among Canada's elite athletes.
SC invites everyone to add their name to the petition by entering their name, city and province in the comments box at the bottom of the page and then hitting the Post Comment button, making this page the online petition to be signed by racing fans from coast-to-coast.
Standardbred Canada Bids to Have Somebeachsomewhere named Lou Marsh Recipient
Horse to follow in the footsteps of 1973 U.S. Athlete of the Year - Secretariat
The following is an open letter to the Committee considering nominees for Canada's Athlete of the Year.
Dear distinguished members of the Lou Marsh Trophy Committee:
In 2008, only one Canadian athlete set three world records, posted a 93.3% win average and earned $2.5 million (more than any other horse in history) in competition.
Only one Canadian athlete was considered by many international observers to have posted the most spectacular season ever accomplished in his respective field.
Only one Canadian athlete forever changed the landscape of his sport.
That athlete is Somebeachsomewhere.
Does a horse qualify to be named Athlete of the Year? If you doubt it, simply look to 1973 – when Sports Illustrated bravely named Secretariat the United States Athlete of the Year.
Secretariat raced 12 times that season but was beaten in three of those starts. His nine wins did include the prestigious Triple Crown, though he faced only five rivals in the Preakness and four in the Belmont. Over his career, Secretariat was 16 for 21.
Somebeachsomewhere, sired in Ontario and owned and based in Truro, Nova Scotia, won 14 of his 15 races in 2008, 13 of which were stakes events. Over his career, he's 20 for 21 and is among the richest horses ever to take to a racetrack.
After an undefeated two-year-old campaign in 2007, this highly charismatic performer brought thousands of spectators out to watch him every time he raced.
In the $1.5 million North America Cup at Mohawk Racetrack in Campbellville, Ont., he demolished the best nine pacers in the world as an adoring crowd stood on their feet to cheer him past the wire.
At the $493,000 Confederation Cup over Flamboro Downs in Dundas, Ont., he competed in two heats held just hours apart, winning in 1:51 3/5 and then 1:49 2/5 -- the fastest time a three-year-old has ever paced over a half-mile track.
At the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky, he greeted fans in horse racing's heartland with a heart-stopping 1:46 4/5 mile, a world record for the fastest time a three-year-old has ever paced. The mark remarkably tied the world record paced by any horse of any age.
He won the Messenger Stakes in New York and the Ontario Sires Stakes Super Final in Toronto through torrential rainstorms. He faced arguably the best group of horses ever assembled as even his rivals paced what would have previously been World Record times.
He won harness racing's three-year-old championship race -- the Breeders Crown -- with ease. Despite the grueling campaign, he is still scheduled to race twice more in December at Dover Downs in Delaware.
Somebeachsomewhere battled from May to December over deep and muddy surfaces and through horrendous conditions. He turned bettors and casual race-goers into true fanatics, and he spawned online fan clubs exceeding a thousand members.
His only loss, a neck defeat in the Meadowlands Pace, arguably became the best mile in history after he was forced to travel wide for much of the race, including a three-wide battle during the backstretch portion of the event.
Somebeachsomewhere has become a harness racing superstar – and there is no doubt that his sport is of sufficient stature to warrant consideration.
Harness racing in Canada values its participants like few other sports in the country. With an annual purse account of more than $240 million, Canadian standardbred racing ranks well above the CFL and the Canadian franchises in the NBA and Major League Baseball in terms of compensation. In all likelihood, only Canada's NHL interests will offer its athletes a higher total pay structure in 2008.
Wagering on Canadian standardbred racing, the only fair measure of attendance since tracks phased out admissions, will likely reach just shy of $500 million in 2008 – a gross revenue number matched by few in the sports world.
It wouldn't be the first time harness racing came to the forefront of Canadian athleticism. In 1971, driver Herve Filion was the recipient of the Lou Marsh Trophy.
Even in thoroughbred racing, Canada has never produced a horse quite like Somebeachsomewhere. Even the great Northern Dancer, a legend in the racing history of our country, was ranked just 43rd in Bloodhorse Magazine's list of the all-time best thoroughbreds.
Some standardbred historians place Somebeachsomewhere on the top of the all-time list, quite an accomplishment considering that long before leagues like the NBA, NHL and NFL existed, harness racing was, in the early 1900s, North America's number one spectator sport.
On Tuesday, December 2, Standardbred Canada will post an online petition at www.standardbredcanada.ca to garner support in naming Somebeachsomewhere the recipient of the 2008 Lou Marsh Award. In under a day, it will have upward of 1,000 signatures.
It is with great pride that we can call Somebeachsomewhere Canada's own. And we are very hopeful he will be named Canada's next Lou Marsh Trophy recipient as he is, without a doubt, Canada's top athlete of 2008.
With sincerest regards,
Darryl Kaplan
Manager of Industry Communications, Standardbred Canada
Editor of Trot Magazine
905-858-3077, ext.241
Somebeachsomewhere Sets 1:46.4 World Record
AWARD SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE THE
AWARD SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE THE LOU MARSH CANADIAN ATHELETE OF THE YEAR AWARD and you will never regret it. First he is, indeed, the greatest Canada-based horse of any breed to ever step on a racetrack in North America - a superlative athelete. Second he can never embarass you, like other athletes can, after having awarded him the distinguished award. He cannot make provocative statements to the public and he cannot make a fool of himself. SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE is the safest and least risk bet you will ever make in distinguishing him as the 2008 Canada Atlelete of the Year. He earned it.
SomeBeachSomeWhere... Daniel
SomeBeachSomeWhere...
Daniel Dickison
Debec, New Brunswick
A truly awesome athlete, a
A truly awesome athlete, a star everywhere he has appeared. Thanks to Brent for his perfect management of such a magnificent horse, Paul for his winning drives and everyone else involved in his care. There is no one, two legged or four legged, more deserving of this recognition.
Marilyn West, Freelton, Ontario
horse is an athlete as
horse is an athlete as anyone and sbsw has to be named athlete of the year.
canada has never had an representetive like that.
When will an athlete will represent our coutry like that?
Shawn Dixon
Shawn Dixon London,Ontario
MAOY
Somebeachsomewhere, some
Somebeachsomewhere, some horse!. Deserving of the title "Athlete of the Year."
Justin Pike St.John's,
Justin Pike
St.John's, Newfoundland
One great horse. Love to
One great horse. Love to watch him any time. Once in a life time.
sbsw has my personal support
sbsw has my personal support for being athlete of the year. i know him personally and have had great pleasure having him here at baycairn.
This is probably the best
This is probably the best athlete produced in Canada this decade.
Before SBSW, I had no clue
Before SBSW, I had no clue what harness racing was. With this rising star it was difficult not to get caught up with all the excitement of this AWESOME horse. He's got my vote!
This is a no-brainer, he
This is a no-brainer, he easily deserves this title! They just need to examine the numbers, numbers don't lie; 2008 Horse of the year, no-brainer 2009 Horse of the year, fastest 2-year old ever, fastest 3 year old on half-mile track, fastest 3-year old ever, and tying the fastest mile ever for aged pacers. After the 2 next races, he will have the biggest earnings ever for a pacer. Bring on the titles!
Definetly should be the
Definetly should be the Athlete of the Year. He is by far the most exciting athlete of 2008 by far.
Windsor, Ontario
Robin McClure Puslinch, ON
Robin McClure
Puslinch, ON
Some beachsomewhere for
Some beachsomewhere for Canadian athlete if the year - Yes.
L Johnson
Cambridge, ON
Melissa Hawco Nova Scotia,
Melissa Hawco
Nova Scotia, Canada
Here's my vote!
Here's my vote!
Somebeachsomewhere totally
Somebeachsomewhere totally deserves this honor,I doubt if anyone who has ever seen or heard of him would disagree.
Margaret
Rockwood, Ont.
Ottawa, Ontario A friend
Ottawa, Ontario
A friend from the Maritimes told me about this discussion going on out there a while back. I thought it was a great idea when she told me about it and am happy to see it made its way all the way to your site. Good ideas travel fast.
best athlete in
best athlete in Canada,unlike humans ,always gives his best! he's got my vote!
Great Horse Hal
Great Horse
Hal Hennessey
Vaudreuil, Quebec
Lets get serious who
Lets get serious who deserves it more. Tell me I might be over looking some athelete.
Nigel Holmes Langley, BC
Nigel Holmes
Langley, BC
He is an inspiration - never
He is an inspiration - never was interested in racing or watching before but he got my attention! what a beauty in motion- he just LOVES to run you can see and he has brought great attention to Canada and this sport. He has my vote big time! He is "doing" a sport and excelling and blowing everyones minds and he is HAPPY - that is so obvious. Not all horses or people are atheletes- but this horse surely is and has shown the world he is the BEST.
Beach is an extraordinary
Beach is an extraordinary athlete that generates a buzz everytime he steps on the track! An extremely deserving recepiant!
Jenna MacDonell
Guelph, Ontario
Without question,
Without question, Somebeachsomewhere deserves athlete of the year. He is a multiple world record elite athlete. He has generated incredible interest and excitement in harness racing and beyond. The crowds of people and families who were drawn to witness this phenomenal horse as he raced in large and small communities in this country is testament to the impact he has had. Somebeachsomewhere and his connections have represented Canada honourably at home and abroad, instilling pride in Canadians throughout the country.
A great Canadian athlete for
A great Canadian athlete for sure...hopefully he raises the awareness of a great sport. I was there to see him tie the record at the Red Mile......true champion!!
Gary Muise
Halifax, NS
Definitely should be athlete
Definitely should be athlete of the year. Somebeachsomewhere has done everything that was asked of him and did so much for the sport of harness racing. I only got to see him on TV, my son saw him at Woodbine, we both agree he is awesome.
To Brent, Paul and connections, you have done a fabulous job with this big fellow, I commend all of you. Go get em Beach!
Nicole Pennington Cambridge,
Nicole Pennington
Cambridge, ON
My husband and I definately
My husband and I definately think Somebeachsomewhere should get the award.What a fantastic athlete.Never any better in my book.
Corey Johnson
Corey Johnson L'Assomption,Quebec
SBSW for athlete of the
SBSW for athlete of the year!!!!!!!!!
Mark McLennan,
Woodstock ON
Cant think of a more
Cant think of a more deserving athelete
The Beach would certainly
The Beach would certainly get my vote for athlete of the year.
Somebeachsomewhere -
Somebeachsomewhere - Canada's Athlete of the Year?
Well ... YES!!! Bred, owned, trained, driven and undefeated on Canadian soil.
Somebeachsomewhere - who else???
Darcy Skinner Devon, Alberta
Darcy Skinner
Devon, Alberta
we never had people come
we never had people come over to watch mlb,nhl,cfl or formula1, but we did for the beach.
SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE - BEST
SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE - BEST HORSE OF ANY BREED I'VE EVER HAD THE PLEASURE OF WATCHING.
ONCE IN A LIFETIME - ATHLETE OF THE YEAR 2008.
LEO THERRIEN
RICHMIND HILL, ONTARIO.
SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE CANADA'S
SOMEBEACHSOMEWHERE CANADA'S ATHLETE OF THE YEAR - HORSE OF THE CENTURY
LIZ THERRIEN
RICHMOND HILL, ONTARIO
SBSW HAS RESTORED INTEREST
SBSW HAS RESTORED INTEREST IN HARNESS RACING FOR MANY PEOPLE AND GARNERED NEW ENTHUSIASTS TO THE SPORT.
HATS OFF TO STANDARDBRED CANADA AND TROT MAGAZINE FOR DRAWING ATTENTION TO THIS ILLUSTRIOUS ATHLETE
DEFINITELY CANADA'S SECRETARIAT AND A HORSE FOR THE AGES.
GO GET 'EM BEACH CANADA LOVES YOU
Somebeachsomewhere has been
Somebeachsomewhere has been the best sports story in Canada this year. If you were lucky enough to at The 25th North America Cup at Mohawk in June you would understand, as the crowd there was the largest I've ever seen. He's a superstar.
Kayla Otterson Truro, Nova
Kayla Otterson
Truro, Nova Scotia
The fastest 3yop i have seen
The fastest 3yop i have seen in 50 years of following the sport.SBSW, Brian Sears and Tiger Woods are the 3 best athletes in North America.Kudos to the management team and thanks for a thrilling season.
Cameron MacEachen Truro, NS
Cameron MacEachen
Truro, NS
Steve K, Oakville,
Steve K, Oakville, Ontario
The purest pacer I have ever seen in my lifetime.
Athlete of the year for sure. Who else is there? A rower from the Olympics? C'mon!
Joey Pennington Orangeville,
Joey Pennington
Orangeville, ON
T.R.Kirton New
T.R.Kirton
New Westminster,B.C.
Jason M. Settlemoir Athens,
Jason M. Settlemoir
Athens, PA USA
A remarkable performance by
A remarkable performance by a remarkable equine athlete. His pacing action was simply amazing, so efficient. Let's hope his countrymen afford him the honor he deserves.
John Pricci
Executive Editor
Horse Race Insider
Canada has many tremendous
Canada has many tremendous athletes, however, in 2008 nothing compares to what SBSW has accomplished. Our sport had a real hero when we really needed one.
Dave Michie
Aurora, Ontario
SBSW would definitely get my
SBSW would definitely get my vote for athlete of the year.
Somebeachsomewhere is the
Somebeachsomewhere is the best of the best. He is not only setting a high standard for others to follow in his hoofprints, but he is bringing attention to harness racing with his incredibly track record. He will go down in history as one of the best!
Mallory Haigh
Trenton, Ontario, Canada
Bass River, NS
Bass River, NS
I have been a fan of and a
I have been a fan of and a participant in Harness Racing for fifty years. In my opinion he is the greatest horse I have ever seen.
Ken Middleton Cambridge, ON
Ken Middleton
Cambridge, ON
the best to come along in
the best to come along in one or more lifetimes,sbsw deserves
the lou marsh award.
Lise Chamberland Lavaltrie,
Lise Chamberland
Lavaltrie, Quebec
SBSW is simply THE BEST EVER
In the words of announcer
In the words of announcer Ken Middleton " he's big, strong and he's got it going on"
The Beach is simply the best and definately deserves to be Canadas Athlete of the year 2008!
James Roselle
Starter/WEG
Brantford, Ontario
TERRIFIC IDEA GREAT HORSE
TERRIFIC IDEA GREAT HORSE ,GREAT TRAINER,GREAT DRIVER,GREAT OWNERS,DESERVES THIS HONER-JOHN T. MACDONALD CAPE BRETON NOVA SCOTIA
Caren Brown Milton, ON
Caren Brown
Milton, ON
He is an amazing
He is an amazing athlete...no one can debate that...he has excited people that dont even know alot about racing...great for the sport..
Cheryl and Wayne Bolger
Ottawa, Ontario
Very deserving of Canada's
Very deserving of Canada's athlete of the year award
Lauren Lee
Canadian Sportsman
the best athlete of the year
the best athlete of the year no doubt
If this counts as the
If this counts as the petition, then I'm in.
Sign me up.
Dave Briggs
The Canadian Sportsman
There is no other deserving
There is no other deserving athlete for Athelete Of The Year than Somebeachsomewhere....Thanks for the memories,
Tim Merzetti
Saint John New Brunswick
Allow me to add my voice in
Allow me to add my voice in favor of this nomination.
First of all, there's precedent for equine athelites to be named to overall sports honors.
Furthermore, in an age of Shawn Avery's, who would you rather see grab some headlines? At least inthe case of SBSW, it's for all the right reasons.
SBSW has all the makings of
SBSW has all the makings of a great athlete: strength,determination, the desire to win and the ability to
bring recognition to his or her sport, be it human or equine. ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
R. Winter, Russell Ont
Becky Geisel Hanover
Becky Geisel Hanover Ontario
Watching Beach race brings every hope and dream alive for people in this business.
I have been a sports fan for
I have been a sports fan for all sports my entire life and have not seen any athlete dominate their sport like Somebeachsomewhere has. I vote for him as athlete of the year
Somebeachsomewhere is very
Somebeachsomewhere is very deserving of Canadian Athlete of the Year. Every Canadian should be very proud of him and his accomplishments. Kudos to his human team.
What an awesome horse! If
What an awesome horse! If anyone deserves to be athlete of the year, it's him!!
Saint John, NB
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR GARY
ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
GARY JONES
HAINESVILLE,NB
The Beach has my vote. He
The Beach has my vote. He was the only athlete I would go out of the way to go see perform, and that was a treat I will never forget. Thanks to the Beach team.
He is an outstanding
He is an outstanding athlete...no one deserves this award more.
Dean Davidson London,
Dean Davidson
London, Ontario
There isnt an athelete in
There isnt an athelete in North America that can even come close to what the Beach has accomplished,he definetly should get the nod as athelete of the year,we were all very lucky to have witnessed greatness on the race track,these great equine stars dont come around that often,so Beachboy you're the one in this sports fans eyes.
Wow, what a year. Even with
Wow, what a year. Even with the summer Olympics, no other achieved what SBSW achieved.
Athlete of the Year... Throw
Athlete of the Year... Throw in an Order of Canada too!
Without a doubt the dream
Without a doubt the dream team of the century, the Beach, Brent and the gentleman Mac.
Thanks for the thrills and every grateful for the cheriched memories and the hope restored in our industry.
Mick
Dan Sifert Calgary, AB
Dan Sifert
Calgary, AB
Somebeachsomewhere is a
Somebeachsomewhere is a phenominal story for Canadian sports -- in fact he was THE story of 2008. He deserves the athlete of the year.
Ross Galbraith, Saint John NB
Somebeachsomewhere is truly
Somebeachsomewhere is truly a beautiful animal to watch race, poetry in motion. He is the most dominant three-year-old I have seen race in 35 years of being a fan and I saw the great Niatross race live several times.
A horse like The Beach is
A horse like The Beach is what makes owners buy more yearlings, this is a dream come true for these happy owners. If only every owner could have a horse half as good as The Beach, it would make a lot of people very happy.
He more than deserves this Athlete of the Year Award.
Congratulation to all involved.
Sylvie
Gatineau, Quebec
Roy Sproxton Brampton,
Roy Sproxton
Brampton, Ontario
There can be no other choice
There can be no other choice for Canadian Athlete of the Year. He is by far the most successful international athlete Canada has produced in 2008. Thanks for the wonderful memories.
Willaim Dyson Nicholson
Saint John NB
Janie Armstrong Grande
Janie Armstrong
Grande Prairie, Alberta
Fred Lorico Mississauga,
Fred Lorico
Mississauga, ON
The Beach should get strong consideration. He has been such a treat to watch. Too bad he'll be retired after the Matron.
Good luck
In reply to Fred Lorico Mississauga, by Fred905 (not verified)
He has taken an outstanding
He has taken an outstanding group of horses and made them look mediocre, dominating what would be, on any other year, world champions and HOY candidates. Never has he failed to impress, never has he raced poorly. He has dropped the jaws of many a seasoned veteran to the sport, truly deserving of Canada's AOTY.
In reply to He has taken an outstanding by Joshua MacGrath (not verified)
Got my support. Stephen
Got my support.
Stephen Quinn
Charlottetown PEI
He is the best harness horse
He is the best harness horse ever.